Marcin Bielecki/PAP

Silesian police, along with their Austrian counterparts, have arrested five Poles in Austria for smuggling drugs and seized more than 50 kilograms of marijuana with a black market value of more than PLN 2 million (EUR 424,000).

The suspects are from the Gliwice area, in southern Poland, where the drugs were intended to be sold, the Katowice Provincial Police headquarters announced on Thursday.

The arrests came after a several months-long investigation into an organized crime group that was active in the Silesian province and in Germany.

In addition to the 51.5 kilogrammes of marijuana, also seized were PLN 100,000 (EUR 21,196) and EUR 10,000 in cash as well as electronic equipment designed to detect and jam GPS/GSM signals.

The suspects have been charged with drug possession, drug trafficking and participation in an organized crime group.

According to Aleksandra Nowara, a Silesian police spokesperson, their trial will most likely take place in Austria.