After a Young Woman’s Death in Kuldīga, Police Arrest Indian Citizen and a Woman from Ventspils

On September 24 last year, a young woman was admitted to Kuldīga Hospital with drug poisoning and later died. In connection with the incident, the State Police launched a criminal investigation, leading to the arrest of three individuals – two women and a man, an Indian citizen. The man was remanded in custody.

Searches at one of the arrested women’s residence in Kuldīga revealed seven foil packages containing suspected marijuana, seven electronic cigarettes without excise stamps, cash, and one cigarette pack without excise stamps. At the other woman’s home in Ventspils, one MDMA tablet and two cigarettes with a marijuana odor were found. In the man’s vehicles and his residence in Ventspils, police seized 197 MDMA tablets, more than 270 grams of dried marijuana, cocaine, and ketamine.

During the investigation, police discovered 103 drug caches created by the arrested man. The caches were located in forests in Jūrmala and Jelgava, yielding a total of 193 MDMA tablets and 151 LSD papers. It was determined that the man had passed tablets to a woman in Ventspils, who then sold them to two women in Kuldīga – one tablet each.

Forensic examinations showed that the deceased woman had not only taken MDMA and marijuana but also other narcotic and psychotropic substances – cannabinoids, amphetamine, and methamphetamine. Her death resulted from combined poisoning complicated by brain swelling and brain stem herniation. Consequently, the death cannot be directly linked to the tablet obtained from the arrested man.

The arrested man has no prior criminal record and was not acting as part of an organized group. His residence permit in Latvia was revoked upon arrest, and he has remained in custody throughout the investigation, cooperating with authorities. The investigation is complete, and the case has been forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for initiating prosecution. Under the Criminal Law, this offense carries a penalty of five to fifteen years’ imprisonment, with or without confiscation of property.

The State Police remind the public that drug trafficking is illegal and urge anyone with suspicions about individuals involved in drug activities to report them by calling 112 or the police trust line at 67075444, or by email at uzticiba@vp.gov.lv.