Major raids in Berlin: Drug trafficking busted via EncroChat!

Major raids in Berlin: Drug trafficking busted via EncroChat!

Today, the Berlin police once again demonstrated the dangerous entanglements of drug trafficking in the capital in a large-scale operation. At the request of the Berlin public prosecutor's office, emergency services searched several properties and arrested two suspects. These are a 52-year-old and his 32-year-old son, who are suspected of having traded narcotics via the messenger service “EncroChat” between April and June 2020. In particular, the deals revolved around cannabis and cocaine, with investigators accusing the younger defendant of importing at least 60 kilograms of hashish from Switzerland to Germany. The older man is also said to have dealt kilograms of cocaine, heroin, crystal meth and marijuana. [Cityreport] reports that the searches took place in an apartment in Westend as well as in a bar in Wilmersdorf and a single-family home in Heinersdorf.

During the raid, officers seized several important pieces of evidence. These include sums of money in the five-figure range, around three kilograms of cannabis, 32 grams of cocaine and over a kilogram of a suspected narcotic substance. The investigators also found a parcel scale, precision scales and extensive records of dealer transactions. Particular attention was paid to two safes; one of them contained an unloaded revolver and two PTB weapons with 50 rounds of ammunition. Surprisingly, the 32-year-old was not found during the operation. Both arrested suspects were released after identification processing and the investigation is continuing.

Background to the investigation

The present investigations are in the context of a comprehensive fight against organized crime in Germany, which received a significant boost from the hack of the crypto cell phone provider EncroChat four years ago. This measure led to over 1,700 arrests and a huge trove of data that police used to monitor drug traffickers. Despite these successes, however, it is clear that the structures of organized crime could not be weakened in the long term. The loss of EncroChat led to a real vacuum in the scene, which led to new distribution battles, as a drug dealer reports. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser also expressed optimism, while Hamburg Interior Senator Andy Grote emphasized that crime has been reorganized as a result of the hack. [Tagesschau] informs that the crime statistics in Berlin showed an alarming peak in violent crime in 2023.

Another aspect that complicates the situation is the legal assessment of the evidence obtained. A court in Berlin recently decided that data from EncroChat cannot be used because it was obtained under conditions that were contrary to the rule of law. The presiding judge found that the public prosecutor's office was not responsible for collecting the data and there was a lack of sufficient evidence to support its lawful use. [EKS] highlights that this calls into question the entire investigative strategy and poses significant challenges for the police.

Although the authorities are taking a number of measures to combat drug trafficking, there has been little progress in prosecuting those behind it. Rather, a query of your trust shows that most arrests are in the area of ​​middlemen. The change in system brings with it violent clashes, and it remains uncertain what the security situation will be like in the affected cities in the future.