- Opening of court proceedings against alleged drug syndicate in Giessen
Five individuals, hailing from the Wetterau and Hochtaunuskreis regions, are under investigation for dealing drugs on a massive scale. Since last Monday, they've been mandated to respond to the Landgericht Gießen.
As per the allegations, these individuals are believed to have exchanged over 1.2 metric tons of narcotics - ranging from hashish and marijuana, to cocaine and amphetamines. The public prosecutor estimates that the men participated in the operation as a collective, potentially functioning as a gang. The illicit proceeds are estimated to amount to roughly 9.3 million Euros.
The men are said to have obtained the drugs from various sources and further distributed them to cities such as Frankfurt, Kassel, Darmstadt, and Stuttgart. They operated under a well-organized system, collaborating effectively.
The apparent leader of the group is facing charges for masterminding and overseeing the booming narcotics trade. The 40-year-old residing in Rosbach, Wetterau, is currently in police custody. Upon his arrest, authorities seized approximately 493,000 Euros.
One of the other defendants is accused of inspecting the drugs for quality, measuring their weight, and packaging them for resale. Some of these drugs are believed to have been stored by him.
Another suspect is charged with maintenance of vehicles used for courier operations and documentation of the business. The remaining two defendants are alleged to have served as couriers, delivering the drugs to a warehouse in Florstadt (Wetterau district) or exchanging them for small vans or directly handing them over to clients.
The men are charged with drug trafficking on a large scale and, in some cases, assistance in these activities. The period under investigation is said to be from March 2021 to July 2023. These individuals were reportedly detected through decrypting encrypted mobile phones. As of now, none of the suspects have confessed, confirmed prosecutor Hohl.
Following the reading of the indictment, the presiding judge referred to a previous discussion involving the parties involved in the proceedings. At that time, the defense of the apparent leader expressed a desire for expediting the proceedings. Concurrently, doubts were raised by the defendants concerning the leader's involvement in a gang and the admissibility of data from encrypted mobile services. A similar stance was maintained by other defendants.
After the first day of the trial, during which another discourse took place, prosecutor Hohl mentioned that the prosecution currently plans to utilize the data. However, the legal framework surrounding this matter is "evolving," noted Hohl. The trial is set to resume on September 6.
The defense of one of the other defendants also raised doubts about the leader's involvement in a gang and the admissibility of data from encrypted mobile services. The prosecution intends to use the data from encrypted mobile phones in their case, despite the evolving legal framework surrounding this issue.
