Hamburg's port: increase in drug crime despite less investigations

Hamburg's port: increase in drug crime despite less investigations

In a current report on the developments of organized crime (OK) in Hamburg, it becomes clear that despite a decline in the investigative proceedings, the financial yields from illegal business have risen sharply. This raises questions about the effectiveness of combating drug trafficking and organized crime and illustrating the challenges that the authorities are facing.

increasing income of organized crime

In 2023, the investigative authorities in Hamburg were brought to the attention of more than 36 million euros as part of 15 reported OK procedures. These numbers are alarming, especially when you consider that in the previous year the income was only a good 17.5 million euros. The BUND of German criminal officers are concerned about this trend and emphasizes the need for further measures.

The port as a key point for drug trafficking

Hamburg, as the third largest port city in Europe, acts as a central turnstile for international drug trafficking. The authorities have recognized that the port is a special vulnerability for organized crime. According to the statements of the Senate, the fight against these criminal structures is considered the top priority, whereby the measures already initiated, such as the "Allianz Safe Hafen" are to address the dangers that are supposed to assume that these criminal organizations are based.

The view of the criminal officers

Jan Reinecke, the state chairman of the Federation of German Criminal Civil Service, explains that the decline in the processes determined is not automatically a sign of decreasing organized crime. He criticizes current politics, which in his view prevents the OK's structures from being informed more comprehensively. Data protection regulations and missing special laws that would enable better law enforcement contribute to the complexity of the situation.

challenge of financial skills

The CDU parliamentary group calls for consistent financial skills to enforce income from organized crime. Group leader Dennis Thering states that the existing measures are not sufficient in order to make the perpetrators clearer that their illegal activities are not portable. In view of the enormous amounts of cocaine that are smuggled over the port of Hamburg, the secured assets appear insignificant.

discussion about clank rimity

Another important topic is the discussion about clank rimity in Hamburg. The Senate makes it clear that there is no evidence of clank rimity, as is observed in other German cities. The suspects are German citizens in a good 50 percent of cases, while the largest foreign group forms Albanian nationals. This point is controversially discussed in public, since the term "clankriminality" is often considered stigmatizing.

In summary, it turns out that developments in Hamburg are still worrying in terms of organized crime. It remains to be seen which measures the authorities will take to counteract the increasing influence of drug trafficking and organized crime and how they will affect the security of the city.

- Nag