Men are said to have smuggled tons of drugs to Hamburg

In the trial of the gang-like smuggling of tons of drugs from South America to Hamburg, the two defendants initially remained silent on the allegations.

Men are said to have smuggled tons of drugs to Hamburg

In the trial of the gang-like smuggling of tons of drugs from South America to Hamburg, the two defendants initially remained silent on the allegations. "Not yet," said the 36-year-old defendant on Thursday. The two men are accused of helping to organize and monitor the transport of more than two tons of cocaine, marijuana and amphetamines to the port of Hamburg. The list of suspected cases from 2019 and 2020 is long. On the first day of the trial, just reading out the indictment took significantly longer than 30 minutes.

According to the prosecution, the illegally imported drugs, usually several hundred kilograms per delivery, were hidden in maintenance hatches and false floors of refrigerated containers that were loaded with bananas, rice and broccoli, among other things. As a result, after the containers were unloaded from their regular cargo at the port, they took the drugs out of hiding to resell them for profit. The drug dealers worked together in different constellations and also hired truck drivers to transport the containers out of the port area.

The Hamburg police and the customs investigation office had been investigating the drug gang for about a year. In 2020, they finally struck a blow against organized crime in northern Germany - more than a dozen suspects were arrested.

The process that has now started is one of several in this context, one of the accused is considered one of the main perpetrators. According to the public prosecutor's office, five judgments have already been made in the complex, four of which are already final. Another trial against eight defendants is also currently underway before the district court. A verdict is expected there in September.

The fight against organized crime took a new turn about two years ago: investigators cracked "EncroChat", a provider of specially encrypted smartphones operating from the Netherlands, and skimmed off the data. The worldwide flow of drugs was directed via the EncroChat mobile phones, dealers bought and sold their goods, and violent acts were arranged. Since then, the investigations and procedures into drug smuggling have increased – also in Hamburg.

At least 32 further hearing dates have been scheduled for the trial now beginning on suspicion of joint gang trafficking in narcotics and the importation of narcotics.