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Cocaine next to cans with putty: drug smugglers apparently unmasked
Photo: Ole Spata / dpa
A suspected gang of drug dealers from South and Central America is said to have shipped more than 23 tons of cocaine to the European Union.
Customs investigators discovered 16 tons in February 2021 in the port of Hamburg alone.
The record find is assigned to an international group of perpetrators who, according to investigators, were broken up on Wednesday.
In a large-scale raid, apartments and business premises in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Paraguay were searched.
Around 20 suspects have been arrested for the time being – including suspected masterminds.
"The arrests do not affect the 'little fish', but the heads of the organization," said Bernd reason, Vice President of the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) Lower Saxony.
In Dubai, for example, a 39-year-old German was arrested early Thursday morning with the help of the local police.
Alleged masterminds apparently previously convicted
Born in Hanover, he left for the United Arab Emirates at the end of 2020.
At that time, his longtime friend took over the business in Hanover, it is said.
The 43-year-old was arrested in Spain along with two accomplices in mid-March 2022.
He is also a leader.
"Both people have relevant criminal records," said the chief criminal director of the LKA, Christian Zahel.
Since 2020, the "Joint Investigation Group on Drugs" (GER) from the LKA and the Hanover Customs Investigation Office has been on the trail of the internationally active drug smugglers.
In March 2021 there was a first major raid with many arrests.
Several suspects have already been convicted.
This Wednesday, in a second major raid in Germany alone, eleven arrest warrants were executed and 35 properties were searched, with the focus being on the greater Hanover area.
A total of 14 people from Germany would be accused in the case, it is said.
They are said to be between the ages of 26 and 57 and of different nationalities.
According to the European police authority Europol, the gang is said to have had a large network of legal companies that they misused to smuggle drugs into the EU.
According to the LKA, banana and coffee deliveries were also used to cover up the drug transports.
In the background there was a network of bogus and letterbox companies, it is said.
Logistics had been set up with warehouses and transport companies.
Belgian investigators speak of 35 tons of cocaine
The Belgian public prosecutor's office attributes drug deliveries totaling 35 tons of cocaine to the organization in 2021.
These would have a street value of over 900 million euros.
Shortly after the record find in Hamburg, 7.7 tons of cocaine were found in Antwerp and a little later 10.9 tons of cocaine.
By decoding messages in the messenger service Sky ECC, the authorities were on the track of international drug smuggling, it is said.
Results of the raids
Germany:
During the searches on Wednesday in Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and North Rhine-Westphalia, the officers seized written documents, digital evidence, small amounts of cannabis and a firearm, according to the Hanover public prosecutor.
In addition, assets worth 1.5 million euros were confiscated – including high-quality watches, a property, two cars and a motorcycle.
Belgium:
Belgian investigators say they arrested five men in Antwerp.
They are said to be between 27 and 38 years old.
Netherlands:
According to the LKA, the Dutch police arrested three people and confiscated, among other things, several apartments and four million euros.
Spain:
Luxury goods and a luxury villa worth five million euros were confiscated here, it is said.
Paraguay:
According to the information
Six properties, including company and business premises, were searched in the Asunción region.
According to the LKA, extensive evidence was secured that proved the provision and export of the cocaine by the group.
ptz/dpa