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The Gera regional court.
© Bodo Schackow/dpa
Two men have to spend a long time behind bars because of their drug dealings.
Their right-wing views played no role in the judge's verdict.
Gera - Two men were sentenced by the Gera regional court to prison terms of nine and twelve years for drug trafficking on a large scale.
On Friday, the judges found it proven that the defendants, aged 35 and 40, had dealt large quantities of drugs such as crystal and cocaine.
The high prison sentences were justified by the drugs' great addictive potential.
However, it could not be proven that they were acting like a gang.
According to a court spokesman, the verdict is not yet final.
The verdict fell short of the prosecutor's request, which had called for prison sentences of twelve and 14 years for the two men.
The defense had demanded acquittals.
The convicts had conducted their business via encrypted crypto services.
The fact that the two men were members of the now disbanded right-wing extremist brotherhood “Turons” had no influence on the verdict.
Last September, the Erfurt regional court sentenced eight members of the right-wing extremist “Brotherhood Thuringia” to prison and suspended sentences for their drug dealings.
The public prosecutor's office had lodged an appeal in this first “Turonen” trial.
At the time, the court had not recognized any criminal organization in the right-wing extremist rocker gang.
The domestic policy spokeswoman for the Green parliamentary group, Madeleine Henfling, viewed the Gera verdict as an important signal.
Even if it falls short of the prosecutor's demands, the two men were still sentenced to severe prison sentences.
The “Turons” must also be seen in the context of the organization of internationally attended right-wing rock concerts in Thuringia, explained Henfling.
“It is regrettable that this right-wing background of the “Brotherhood of Thuringia”, which is also relevant to the conduct of drug trafficking, was not sufficiently taken into account in both processes.” dpa