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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [CRIME]

2 clusters · 3 sources · 9 days · First seen · Last updated

Cocaine smuggling trials in Germany

Overview

Legal proceedings have commenced in German courts regarding separate large-scale cocaine smuggling operations.

In Hamburg, a trial is underway for a 30-year-old man accused of serving as an “operations manager” for a criminal organization. Prosecutors allege he coordinated the logistics, bookkeeping, and distribution of approximately 2.4 tons of cocaine smuggled into Germany for sale across Europe between January 2024 and September 2025. One specific instance cited in the indictment involved 615 kilograms of cocaine with a turnover of roughly 17 million euros.

In a separate case in Rostock, a 59-year-old man confessed to smuggling 264 kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Europe aboard a sailing yacht named ‘Target’. The defendant stated the operation, involving drugs valued at nearly 16 million euros, was intended to settle debts with a criminal network. The vessel was intercepted by Portuguese authorities near the Azores in August 2025 after departing from Cartagena.

Entities

Azores · Landgericht Hamburg · Cartagena · Landgericht Rostock

Timeline

  1. 2 days ago

    [CRIME] 3 sources
    Rostock court hears cocaine smuggling confession via sailing yacht

    A man confessed in a Rostock court to smuggling 264kg of cocaine from Colombia to Europe on a sailing yacht to settle criminal debts. His wife is also charged, though he claims she was unaware.

  2. 11 days ago

    [CRIME] 3 sources
    Hamburg court begins trial of man accused in 2.4-ton cocaine smuggling case

    A 30-year-old man is on trial in Hamburg for allegedly managing a criminal group responsible for smuggling and distributing 2.4 tons of cocaine across Europe.

Sources

berliner-zeitung.de · ostdeutsche-zeitung.de · ostseewelle.de