Mafia raid in Stuttgart: 14 suspects are on trial!

Mafia raid in Stuttgart: 14 suspects are on trial!

In an extensive operation against the Calabrian mafia organization 'Ndrangheta, a total of 34 people were arrested on April 1, 2025, including 14 in Germany and 20 in Italy. These arrests are part of a larger investigation that has been running since the end of 2020. The Stuttgart public prosecutor plans that the suspects, who are charged with fraud, blackmail and violent crimes, could be in court this year. Eight of the ten suspects arrested in Germany are already in custody.

The raid comprised 40 house searches in different cities and was carried out by 350 police officers, including special forces. Five people were arrested in the cities of Fellbach and Kernen in the Rems-Murr district. These are also in custody, and there was no resistance during the operation. During the search, over 70 files with evidence as well as five firearms and ammunition were secured.

Operation Boreas and the Secret of the Secret

The investigation is part of the "Operation Boreas", which is a coordinated effort between German and Italian authorities. The arrests are the result of a collaboration that also includes the EU judicial authority Eurojust. An outstanding case among the arrested is a German police officer who is suspected of having passed on internal information to the 'Ndrangheta.

The previous allegations against those arrested are serious and include attempted manslaughter, arson and drug traps. In addition, a modern form of compensation for protection is said to have been practiced. Gastronomers were put under pressure, were to be assumed under false identity; In the event of refusal, their vehicles were damaged.

the Ndrangheta in Germany

The 'Ndrangheta is considered one of the most powerful mafia organizations worldwide, which operates not only in drug trafficking, but also in money laundering and corruption. It is estimated that the annual turnover of the 'Ndrangheta is between 50 and 100 billion euros. In Germany, the organization has a permanent mainstay, especially in Baden-Württemberg, where around 170 people are assigned to organized crime. In 2023 there were a total of 642 investigations into organized crime in Germany, with 41 % of the procedures to be assigned to drug trade and smuggling.

around 7,350 suspects were recorded, of which around 4,960 people from other nationalities belong, mainly Turks, Serbs, Poland and Albanians. The presence of clan structures shows the complexity of organized crime in Germany. Borea's operation is a further memory of the ongoing challenge that the security authorities are faced with.

The police and the responsible public prosecutors are doing everything they can to smash these criminal structures and protect the rule of law. As the police chief of Aalen, Reiner Möller, stated, the cooperation between the international investigative authorities has contributed significantly to the successful implementation of the raid.

The details from the raid and the ongoing investigations are also discussed in the SWR Podcast Mafia Land, where the background and the effects of such criminal networks are examined in more detail.

For more information on these developments, the articles at SWR , Statista .