Fight among dealers - Hostage-taking and explosions in NRW - dispute between drug gangs escalates
A Special Operations Command (SEK) team rescued two hostages from kidnappers in a residential area of Cologne on a Friday. The police and prosecutor's office have announced that there may be a drug-related feud behind this. Several explosions in Cologne, Engelskirchen, and Duisburg at the end of June and beginning of July could also be related.
The investigation leads to the Netherlands. Explosions as a means of organized crime have been common there for a long time. However, there is no evidence of a political background, according to the police and prosecutor on Monday.
Power Struggles in Drug Trade
The six suspects, aged between 22 and 29, who were arrested in connection with the hostage release, are currently in police custody, according to police statements. Five of the accused are suspected of joint kidnapping and grievous bodily harm. The sixth suspect is accused of aiding and abetting kidnapping and violating the weapons law. Later, a seventh suspect was arrested in Engelskirchen. He is also suspected of involvement in the kidnapping.
The prosecution and police believe that the motives for the crime "lie in the realm of organized drug trafficking." According to the current investigation, it is about a violent confrontation between two groups of perpetrators after a drug deal, in which drugs worth millions were allegedly stolen. "The intensive investigations, which also lead to the Netherlands, are ongoing."
An investigation is also being conducted as to whether there are connections to an explosion in Solingen on June 25. In this case, a man had dropped a bottle with a substance in front of a shop, causing an explosion that seriously injured the man. He died a few hours later in the hospital.
- The police in NRW are investigating if the drug business between two rival gangs could be the reason behind the explosion incidents in Cologne, Engelskirchen, and Duisburg.
- The six arrested individuals are believed to be involved in the drug gang responsible for the hostage-taking and the violent confrontation that led to the theft of drugs valued in the millions.
- The investigation into the hostage-taking and the drug-related feud has resulted in the arrest of a suspected member in Engelskirchen, who is also linked to the explosion incident in Solingen.
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