Three men caught stealing a canoe: drugs and tools discovered!

Three men caught stealing a canoe: drugs and tools discovered!

On Sunday afternoon there was an unpleasant incident at Lake Griebnitz in Potsdam: three men tried to steal a canoe from a property. Witnesses reported that the perpetrators unsecured the canoe, but they eventually escaped in a fishing boat and left the canoe in the water. An attentive witness reported the crime to the police, who reacted quickly and picked up the men in the Teltow Canal. The investigation took an interesting turn when a positive rapid drug test was found during a check on one of the men. This resulted in him having to provide a blood sample. Narcotics and tools were also found on the boat, which were presumably used for the planned theft. The police held out the prospect of further arrests because one of the men could not identify himself and was in possession of an ID card that did not belong to him. All three men now face criminal charges, as the Tagesspiegel reports.

A fate in canoeing

In recent months, canoeing, especially in Potsdam, has also come into focus due to less positive news. A prominent example is Martin Hiller, a German canoeist and known as a bronze medalist at the 2024 World Championships. He was recently banned for four years for doping after anabolic steroids were detected in several tests. Particularly piquant: The ban, which became legally binding in February 2025, meant that Hiller has no longer been in the national team squad since the new season and has therefore disappeared from public view. He had previously tested positive several times, which has now led to investigations by the Potsdam public prosecutor's office. This requested a penalty order against Hiller for violating the anti-doping law.

What is astonishing is the fact that the National Anti-Doping Agency has kept up to 130 other doping cases anonymous since March 2020, while little publicity was carried out in the Hiller case. The sports director of the German Canoe Association, Jens Kahl, has confirmed the incidents and expects that NADA will probably process the doping case anonymously in the summer of 2025. Hiller's club, KC Potsdam, has already reacted and removed the athlete's presence from their website.

It remains to be seen how the situation surrounding the theft cases and the doping scandal will develop. The sport is struggling with these events and hopes that the incidents will be resolved quickly. For now, both the perpetrators of the attempted theft and Hiller are faced with the challenge of facing the consequences of their actions.