Two held in Rīga after search finds 11 kg of cocaine and 3 kg of marijuana
Latvian State Police detained two men in Rīga on 8 March 2026 and found about 11 kg of cocaine and 3 kg of marijuana at one suspect's home, plus small amounts at the other's apartment. Police valued the whole haul at about €1 million and called it their largest cocaine seizure since 2019; a court refused to remand the men, applying non-custodial measures instead.
Neither had previously come to police attention.[1]Police said the men were
mainly involved in distributing cocaine in the Rīga region.[2]A sanctioned
search at the home of the man born in 2002 found about 11 kg of cocaine and 3 kg
of marijuana.[2]At the other man’s apartment, officers seized a further 10 g
of cocaine and found 20 g of marijuana on him during a personal search.[2]
Police estimated the street value of the seized substances at about €1 million.[3]Police opened a criminal case for organised, large-scale drug trafficking,
an offence carrying five to 15 years in prison.[3]
They said the investigation prevented them from disclosing more about the
suspects’ roles or the circumstances.[1]
Photos and video
State Police photograph released with the announcement of the Rīga search and seizure. Photo: Valsts policijaPhoto details
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Source: Valsts policija, via LSM.lvState Police photograph released with the announcement of the Rīga search and seizure. Photo: Valsts policijaPhoto details
Original
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Retrieved
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Source: Valsts policija, via LSM.lvState Police photograph released with the announcement of the Rīga search and seizure. Photo: Valsts policijaPhoto details
The two men are not named; only their birth years, 2000 and 2002, were published.
The reports give no separate date for the apartment searches; they are described with the 8 March detentions.
The court's reasons for refusing the police request to remand the men were not published.
No individual charges or trial outcome have been announced.
The €1 million estimate covers the whole haul, most of it cocaine; no separate value was given for the marijuana.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in LSM.lv: Latvian State Police detained two men born in 2000 and 2002 in Rīga on 8 March 2026.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in Valsts policija: On 10 March they asked a court to remand both men in custody, but the court declined and applied non-custodial measures instead.
Left out, as its quotation was not found in LSM.lv: Police said the seizure was the largest amount of cocaine taken by the State Police since 2019.
Latvia's Economic Affairs Court will continue hearing witnesses on 4 December in the trial of nine people, among them Jurijs Spiridonovs, accused of producing marijuana in indoor plantations in Spain and selling it in Latvia and Norway. Prosecutors say the group, active from 2020 to autumn 2024, laundered its earnings through bank accounts and property in Riga; four defendants remain in custody.
Latvian police detained six members of a Latvian-Lithuanian group that hid drugs in barrels buried in forests near Riga, with two more members directing activity from prison. Officers found about 36 kg of mixed drugs including marijuana and hashish plus 34 THC devices, and a court remanded five suspects in custody.
Latvian State Police detained two men, born in 1977 and 1978, on 26 August 2026 and found a Mercedes Benz truck carrying 114 kg of dried marijuana during searches in the Riga region. Both were held in custody while investigators continued work against an organised group they said the two had formed with at least two accomplices to buy, store and sell drugs.
Latvian State Police stopped a Lithuanian-plated truck near Jēkabpils on 12 March 2021 and found about 1,000 kg of hashish hidden under artificial stone slabs, the largest hashish seizure in the force's history. Two suspects were detained.
