Swiss police detain 41 in international drug-trafficking crackdown

Forty-one people were provisionally detained in Switzerland as authorities moved against an alleged international network accused of smuggling cocaine and laundering money. The operation, conducted on November 10 and 11, brought searches to 84 locations across 12 cantons and seven other countries, according to the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and the Federal Office of Police, known as Fedpol.

Swiss authorities also seized more than CHF 2.3 million, cryptocurrencies and 15 weapons. The scale of the searches and the cross-border reach mark a coordinated effort involving law enforcement in Switzerland and abroad. Prosecutors say the alleged group moved large quantities of cocaine from Latin America to Europe. Five of the people detained in Switzerland are the subject of applications for remand in custody. Three further suspects are being held abroad pending extradition. The detentions are provisional, and the allegations concern an organisation authorities say operated across national borders.

The searches covered 84 locations in Switzerland and seven other countries. In Switzerland, officers worked across 12 cantons during the two-day operation. Authorities said the coordinated searches formed part of an international crackdown focused on an alleged cocaine-smuggling and money-laundering organisation.

The Swiss detentions are one part of the operation’s cross-border action. Forty-one people were provisionally detained in Switzerland, while three other suspects are in custody abroad pending extradition. The authorities also sought remand in custody for five of those detained in Switzerland. These steps sit at different stages of the proceedings: provisional detention, applications for remand and custody abroad while extradition is pending. The operation’s geography reflects the international scope of the suspected network, which Swiss authorities say moved cocaine from Latin America to Europe. The searches and detentions have brought activity in multiple countries into a single investigation, with Swiss prosecutors and Fedpol announcing the results together.

Swiss authorities allege the group smuggled large quantities of cocaine from Latin America to Europe from 2019 onward. The network is also accused of money laundering, placing the investigation beyond the movement of drugs alone. Officials linked the alleged criminal organisation to both activities in their announcement of the crackdown.

The authorities’ seizures included more than CHF 2.3 million, cryptocurrencies and 15 weapons. The seizure of cash and digital assets accompanied the searches, while the weapons formed another part of what investigators took into custody. The reported cocaine route spans two continents, while the searches extended across Switzerland and seven other countries. That combination gives the case its international dimension: investigators are pursuing suspected trafficking and financial activity through a coordinated operation in multiple jurisdictions. The allegations remain allegations against the suspects; the announced detentions and seizures are the actions taken so far by law enforcement.

Five of the 41 people detained in Switzerland face applications for remand in custody. Authorities said three further suspects are being held abroad while extradition is pending. The figures describe distinct legal steps following the searches: provisional detention in Switzerland, requests for continued custody, and foreign custody ahead of possible transfer.

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland and Fedpol announced the operation’s results on Thursday, November 12, after the searches on November 10 and 11. Their account identifies the alleged organisation’s cocaine route and money-laundering activity as the focus of the investigation. The group is accused of trafficking large quantities from Latin America to Europe since 2019. Swiss authorities’ next steps include pursuing remand applications for five detainees, while the three suspects abroad remain subject to extradition proceedings. The operation has produced detentions and seizures across several jurisdictions, with the Swiss agencies continuing the case alongside their international law-enforcement counterparts.