Mother and daughter arrested at the border: attempting to smuggle cocaine with three children in their car
According to the Danish TV2 website, the Midt-og Vestsjællands Politi (Midt- og Vestsjællands Politi) uncovered one of the biggest drug smuggling operations in recent years, after arresting two women – a mother and her daughter – who were trying to smuggle 38 kilograms of cocaine across the Danish border, while three children were with them in the car.
A mother and daughter are accused of smuggling huge quantities of cocaine.
Police told media outlets, including the Ritzau news agency, that the two women – a 45-year-old mother and her 23-year-old daughter – were arrested on Sunday in the western suburb of Copenhagen. During a search, officers found the cocaine hidden in a secret compartment in the family car, in which the children were sitting in the back seats.
Value of the confiscated drugs
Police estimated the seized quantity to have a market value of around 22 million Danish kroner, making it one of the largest seizures seen in the Central and Western Zealand region in recent years.
Police statements
Commissioner Michael Andreassen explained in a written statement carried by the Ritzau news agency that the police view the use of children as a means of camouflage to cover up criminal activity of this magnitude with the utmost seriousness, saying: “The use of children as a statistic or a means of concealing a serious crime is something we take very seriously, and we immediately informed the social services authorities of the incident.”
large-scale investigation
The commissioner confirmed that the operation followed an extensive investigation that led police to uncover this large shipment of cocaine, noting that officers were "extremely pleased that this quantity did not reach the streets." He added that the surveillance and monitoring operation was meticulous and lengthy, ultimately resulting in the timely seizure of the contraband.
Indictments and legal proceedings
The two women were charged with importing large quantities of cocaine for distribution to an unspecified number of people within Denmark. They are scheduled to appear before the Holbæk District Court (Retten i Holbæk) today, Monday, for a preliminary hearing (Grundlovsforhør).
The public prosecutor requested a closed session.
According to the sources, the authorities stated that the public prosecutor's office will request that the session be held behind closed doors, in order to prevent the publication of details of the evidence or information related to the course of the investigation.
Image showing the Danish-German border
As shown in photos published by Presse-fotos.dk, the incident occurred near the Danish-German border, suggesting the transfer may have been part of a cross-border smuggling network. Police have not yet revealed whether other parties or individuals were involved, but confirmed they are continuing their investigation to identify the remaining members of the smuggling network.
