Mönchengladbach (dpa / lnw) - On Tuesday, the district court in Mönchengladbach sentenced a 48-year-old to six years in prison for growing and dealing in drugs. His 17-year-old daughter, who was also accused of aiding and abetting, got off lightly. She was required by the court to graduate from high school.
The father had confessed to having operated a plantation with over a thousand cannabis plants in his car workshop in Niederkrüchten in the Viersen district. However, he denied having forced his daughter to cooperate.
"Once in a while family members would help me - carrying boxes and boxes," he said. The 17-year-old told the police differently: her father threatened to throw her out if she didn't help. In the process she was silent.
The 17-year-old, who lives with her grandparents in the Netherlands, went to the police with her boyfriend in Roermond in February and said her father had beaten her. She also talked about working with the drug plants. The police officers informed their German colleagues, who promptly discovered a "highly professional plantation" in the 48-year-old's car workshop.
In his last words, the accused said he only wanted to use the proceeds to finance the workshop and the two children. "We haven't lived in luxury," he said. The court credited him with his confession and that he had no criminal record.
The wife, who is still under investigation, burst into tears as the verdict was announced. The verdict for the girl is final, but not for her father.
