Process - Cocaine smuggling trial: criticism around opening
In protest by the defenders, a trial against six men for large-scale cocaine trafficking with 1000 kg of cocaine continued at the Hamburg Regional Court on Wednesday. The defenders of the men requested a temporary halt to the proceedings. They had not been able to review all investigation files, said lawyer Gül Pinar before the Large Penal Chamber at the Regional Court. Therefore, their client could not yet comment on the indictment. The other defenders agreed. However, the Chamber rejected the application and continued the proceedings, as a court spokeswoman said.
The prosecution accuses the men aged between 23 and 44 of having picked up the South American drug from a container terminal in the port in October 2022 and passed on most of it to unknown buyers. The cocaine had a black market value of €27,000 per kilo, amounting to €27 million in total. The indictment was read on June 10, 2023. All six accused are in custody.
The container with the drugs is said to have arrived in Hamburg on October 25, 2022. The cocaine was hidden under metal barrels containing balsam resin, the prosecution revealed. Due to a customs tip-off, the authorities secured the container for investigation. However, a few hours later, the accused had allegedly stolen the container and transported it to a plot in the Wilhelmsburg district with a stolen truck. There, they are said to have extracted the cocaine, keeping 200 kg as a commission for themselves.
The court has scheduled 46 further hearing dates. The judgment could therefore be announced at the end of March next year.
- The public prosecutor's office in Hamburg is charging a drug gang of six men for their involvement in a massive cocaine trafficking operation involving a kilo of cocaine.
- The criminal activities of the drug gang are believed to have taken place at the Port of Hamburg, where they allegedly picked up the drugs from a container terminal.
- The drug trafficking processes led to the seizure of a container filled with cocaine, which had a black market value of €27,000 per kilo, totaling €27 million.
- The men, aged between 23 and 44, are currently in custody and face serious drug trafficking charges, with the trial taking place at the Hamburg Regional Court.
- The defense lawyers have requested a temporary halt to the proceedings due to insufficient time to review investigation files, but their request was rejected by the court.
- If found guilty, the men could face lengthy prison sentences for their involvement in this large-scale cocaine trafficking operation in Hamburg.
