Drugs and crime - Cannabis: Reul warns against conditions like those in the Netherlands
North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) warned, in relation to the release of Cannabis, about emerging criminal structures. "The Netherlands are indeed the pioneer country in terms of trivialization and legalization of drugs. And there is hardly a country in our European environment where such mafia structures have emerged in the field of drug trafficking as in the Netherlands, and where it also goes as violently," said Reul on WDR5-"Morgenecho".
Reul emphasized that smoking itself is not bad, but the connection to the drug world. Organized crime takes advantage of every opportunity to make businesses, said the CDU politician. It's a business branch - a big business - and "nothing is held back". According to the NRW Interior Minister, the topic has gotten out of control in the Netherlands.
The Cologne Police reported on Tuesday about a kidnapping with a new dimension of violence. The background was organized crime in the drug scene, there were extortion attempts in the area. In this context, several explosions at the end of June and beginning of July could also be observed in Cologne and Engelskirchen, among other places. Extreme brutality and targeted explosions are considered the hallmark of the Dutch "Mocro-Mafia".
- Despite his concerns about emerging criminal structures related to Cannabis, Herbert Reul, the Interior Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia from the CDU party, acknowledged the Netherlands' role as a pioneer in drug trivialization and legalization.
- In a conversation on WDR5-"Morgenecho", Reul pointed out that while smoking Cannabis itself may not be bad, it often leads to unwanted connections with the drug world, which organized crime exploits for financial gain.
- The CDU politician warned that the Netherlands, known for its lenient drug policies, has become a breeding ground for drug trafficking mafias, whose brutal tactics and violent extortion attempts pose a significant threat, especially in Cologne.
- In a recent case, Cologne Police reported a kidnapping with exceptional violence, traced back to organized crime in the drug scene, which has also been linked to numerous explosions in the region, a trademark of the Dutch "Mocro-Mafia".
