Czech, US, Australian police break up drug trafficking gang

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – Czech police said Friday they co-operated with their counterparts in the United States and Australia to break up an international drug trafficking gang that allegedly smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin across four continents.

Police said the gang hired couriers in the Czech Republic who travelled in pairs from Prague to Australia, mostly through Los Angeles or Thailand. They always had four pieces of luggage, each containing five kilograms (11 pounds) of drugs.

The drugs could not be detected by X-rays or sniffer dogs, police said, without giving details.

They said 60 people have been charged with drug trafficking in the Czech Republic. Four others were arrested in Australia.

The U. S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U. S. Department of Homeland Security and Australian Federal Police have been co-operating on the investigation, which is continuing.