Nine men charged in Iceland’s largest drug case

Nine men have been charged with organised criminal activity and a major drug offence in the Straumsvík case, mbl.is reports. Six of them are foreign nationals accused of importing 106 kilograms of cocaine from Brazil aboard the cargo ship Koznitza in June.

The other three are Icelandic citizens accused of receiving 30 kilograms of cocaine, according to deputy district prosecutor Karl Ingi Vilbergsson. RÚV was the first to report the charges.

The men’s detention was extended by four weeks on Thursday on investigative grounds. Karl Ingi said the case was now heading to court, where it would be assigned to a judge who would set a date for its formal hearing.

The drugs were concealed aboard the Brazilian cargo ship, which remained at anchor off Straumsvík for two days. They were collected from the ship by a small boat and brought ashore, where police arrested some of those believed to have been involved in the operation.

The Straumsvík case is the largest drug case to have emerged in Iceland.