Criminal police officers in Piła (Greater Poland Voivodeship) arrested two brothers, aged 37 and 38, from Chodzież County (Powiat Chodzieski) on 11 September 2026, after searches of their homes and an adjacent wooded area turned up more than 400 grams of various narcotics, as well as a revolver and ammunition without the required permit. The local police department published the details of the case on 15 September 2026.
The investigation had followed suspicion of drug possession and dealing. During the searches, a narcotics-detection dog found around 100 grams of amphetamine in the younger, 37-year-old brother’s room. In total, officers seized more than 300 grams of marijuana, around 15 portions of amphetamine and roughly 15 portions of hashish from the two men. On the 38-year-old brother’s property and in a nearby wooded area, investigators also found eleven cannabis plants apparently being cultivated there for personal use.
In the 37-year-old’s possession, officers additionally found a revolver together with matching ammunition, for which no valid permit existed. Investigators also seized more than 12,000 złoty in cash, which, according to initial findings, may have stemmed from drug sales and was retained as security for a possible future fine.
Both brothers now face several charges. Prosecutors have accused the 37-year-old, in addition to unlawful possession of narcotics, of the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition — an offense that under Polish weapons law can carry a prison sentence of up to eight years. The 38-year-old brother must answer for unlawful drug possession and the illegal cultivation of cannabis; he faces a prison sentence of up to three years.
The investigation was led by the criminal police in Piła, which had apparently gathered information over a longer period regarding possible drug dealing by the two men. According to observers, the specific combination of different types of narcotics — from plant-based cannabis to synthetic amphetamine to hashish — together with the additional weapons find, points to a multi-pronged criminal activity encompassing both cultivation and resale.
Both men are currently in custody; in its initial statement, police did not give final details on whether formal pretrial detention in the stricter sense had been applied, but referred to the criminal proceedings initiated and the formal charges brought against both brothers.
Cases like this are not uncommon in the rural regions of Greater Poland: investigators conducting searches in connection with drug offenses regularly also come across illegally held firearms, which owners frequently justify with hunting or collecting interests but which are, in some cases, also kept to secure drug deals. Polish police regularly point out that illegal weapons possession in rural areas — unlike in the larger urban centers — is disproportionately often uncovered in connection with other offenses such as drug trafficking or poaching, since such weapons there often remain in family possession across generations without the necessary permits ever having been obtained or renewed.
The case from Chodzież County also illustrates how Polish regional police departments, outside the jurisdiction of central agencies specializing in organized and serious crime — such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBŚP) — independently conduct investigations into suspected drug and weapons offenses, frequently relying on local tips and the targeted use of service dogs. The Piła criminal police belong to the Provincial Police Headquarters in Poznań (Komenda Wojewódzka Policji w Poznaniu) and are responsible for combating crime across the northern part of Greater Poland Voivodeship.
Police made no statement in their initial announcement regarding the possible market for the seized narcotics or any other possible participants. Based on the information published so far, it remains unclear whether the two brothers are connected to a larger regional distribution structure or whether this was an independent, family-organized activity. The investigation is ongoing, according to police.
