Pforzheim drug gang members found fully culpable despite addiction

Three of the seven defendants in the Pforzheim drug‑gang case were examined for the impact of long‑term substance abuse on their criminal responsibility. A forensic expert from the Emmendingen clinic concluded that, despite chronic cannabis use, psychotic disorders and depressive episodes, the three men remain fully culpable.

The gang is accused of a rapid‑trade operation in 2020‑2021 that distributed narcotics across Pforzheim, the Enzkreis and the Karlsruhe district, involving about 90 separate incidents. All seven accused, aged 26‑33, admitted the offences. One defendant began using cannabis at 16, experienced family violence, multiple psychiatric hospitalisations and even attempted to run a police officer over during a 2018 chase. A prior trial had acquitted him on grounds of insanity, but the new assessment found no loss of culpability.