Police: Investigation into Case Codenamed 'Urus' Still Ongoing

Bratislava, 24 June (TASR) - The investigation into the large-scale police operation codenamed 'Urus' is still ongoing, TASR was told by the Police Corps Presidium communications department on Wednesday. During the 'Urus' operation over the weekend, police detained ten people. In recent days, three additional members of the group were apprehended: one was detained while traveling by car, another upon arrival at the airport, and the third voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement bodies following the intensification of police measures. The police have charged nine individuals with the crime of setting up, masterminding, and supporting a criminal group, as well as with the particularly serious crime of the unauthorised production of and trafficking in narcotic and psychotropic substances, for which, if found guilty, they face a prison sentence ranging from 25 years to life imprisonment. To date, the investigator has filed four motions for custody, which are currently being reviewed by a pre-trial judge at the Specialised Criminal Court. With regard to the other accused individuals, the judge will assess whether the legal conditions for custody have been met. According to the findings of the investigation so far, the group has been operating since at least the first half of 2025 in Slovakia, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries. Its members used encrypted communications, covert methods of identifying customers, precisely divided roles, and sophisticated logistics for international shipments. Members of the Office for Combating Organised Crime's (UBOK) anti-crime unit managed to document at least 16 international shipments, during which at least 4,795 kilogrammes of narcotic and psychotropic substances were transported and distributed, including more than four metric tonnes of ketamine, at least 220 kilogrammes of cocaine, 400 kilogrammes of MDMA, as well as additional quantities of hashish and ecstasy tablets. The criminal activity also included the import of cocaine into Slovakia. Shipments were typically documented in quantities ranging from one to three kilogrammes, with one instance involving as much as 20 kilogrammes of cocaine intended for further distribution. From the documented shipments, the group derived financial gains of at least €800,000, with rewards for individual shipments typically exceeding €50,000 and, in some cases, reaching as high as €200,000. UBOK members are conducting further investigative actions aimed at fully elucidating the activities of the international criminal group, documenting additional offenses, and tracking down the remaining individuals. am