Germany conducts nationwide raids against human trafficking and illegal employment

German authorities conducted massive nationwide raids involving approximately 2,200 police and customs officers to combat organized crime, human trafficking, and illegal employment. The operations targeted hotels, cleaning companies, and service industry businesses, including hair salons and nail studios, across roughly a dozen federal states including Berlin, Hamburg, Saxony, and Baden-Württemberg.

Investigations led by the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office focus on a criminal gang accused of smuggling foreign workers—primarily from Eastern Europe, including Ukraine and Georgia—into Germany. The gang allegedly used forged documents to facilitate illegal stays and employed these individuals in the cleaning industry while withholding social security contributions and minimum wages. A 50-year-old suspect is identified as the alleged ringleader of a group of 23 individuals.

In addition to the large-scale gang investigation, customs officials conducted targeted inspections of the hair and beauty sector. These checks resulted in numerous criminal and administrative proceedings regarding minimum wage violations, illegal residency, and failures to maintain proper employment records. Simultaneously, financial police in Austria conducted related inspections in hotels.