In a coordinated operation targeting organized drug crime, police forces across Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain launched raids on residential and commercial properties early on Thursday.
A total of 32 properties have been searched and 11 arrest warrants have been executed, the office for the prosecution of organized crime in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and local police in Bonn said in a statement.
Additionally, one person has been temporarily detained.
The operation primarily targeted the area around Cologne and Bonn in western Germany, the statement said.
Investigations are ongoing. The raids are part of a preliminary inquiry into suspected drug trafficking involving “significant quantities,” it said.
The goal of the operation is to secure evidence and assets related to the alleged criminal activities, the statement added.
The police and public prosecutor’s office are due to announce more details about the crackdown at a press conference in Bonn on Friday.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister Herbert Reul called the Europe-wide operation a successful move in the fight against organized crime. “No hiding place is safe, no border protects against prosecution,” he said.
However, he warned that the case also shows that one year after the partial legalisation of cannabis in Germany, the illegal trade in the drug continues to rise.
Police officers search the balcony of a residential building. In a Europe-wide operation against organized drug crime, officers have been searching residential and commercial properties in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain since the morning. Oliver Berg/dpa
