Thomas Drach sentenced to 15 years in prison for robbery
The Cologne Regional Court has sentenced Thomas Drach to 15 years' imprisonment for robbery and attempted murder. The court also sentenced the Reemtsma kidnapper to preventive detention. This means that after serving his sentence, Drach will be transferred to a secure detention center where he will remain behind bars. With its verdict, the court complied with the prosecution's request.
The court considered it proven that Drach committed three robberies of cash-in-transit vehicles in Cologne and Frankfurt am Main in 2018 and 2019. According to the verdict, he fired shots at the cash carriers in two of the robberies and the two men suffered serious injuries. A robbery in Limburg, Hesse, which was also charged, could not be proven against Drach.
Drach had always denied all accusations and his defense lawyers had asked for his acquittal. The verdict on the 100th day of the trial marked the end of an almost two-year mammoth trial, which took place under high security precautions. In 1996, the German had kidnapped Jan Philipp Reemtsma, heir to the Hamburg tobacco dynasty Reemtsma, and released him for ransom. Drach was sentenced to fourteen and a half years in prison for the crime.
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Drach's criminal activities extended beyond Cologne, as he was also accused of a robbery in Limburg, Hesse, despite not being convicted for it. The International Court of Justice in The Hague could potentially review Germany's extradition policies if such a request was made by another country for Drach's involvement in international crimes.
Source: www.ntv.de
