PRAGUE, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Czech authorities on Tuesday said Czech and Serbian police detained ten people in a joint raid against Serbian marijuana dealers suspected of the large-scale growing and selling of cannabis. Seven of the suspects were caught in Czech territory.
Czech National Anti-Drug Centre spokeswoman Barbora Kudlackova said the group rented family houses in Prague's outskirts and turned them into cannabis-growing facilities.
The facilities were equipped with state-of-the-art technology for indoor plant cultivation. Specially-trained gardeners took care of the growing of the plants. The gang had a store in the Czech Republic, and drugs were sold to countries across the EU, authorities said.
About 3,000 plants and 201 kg of marijuana were seized. Police officers estimate that the growers were able to produce about one ton of marijuana.
Serbian police targeted the group for suspected money laundering. The gang used the profits from the drug trading to buy real estate, vehicles and various firms in Serbia.
All ten suspects are in custody and face for up to 12 years in jail if convicted. The investigation is still underway and the police do not exclude that further people may be involved.
Marijuana is among the most widespread drugs in the Czech Republic.
