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Germany: Police raid several shisha bars for organized crime

August 8, 2020

Hundreds of officers and tax officials were involved in the raids, which targeted 17 establishments in and around Oberhausen. Despite the efforts, police found no indication of organized crime network activity.

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Deutschland Symbolbild Polizei ARCHIV
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. May

Police in several cities in the Ruhr region of western Germany have carried out widepsread raids targeting organized crime rings, officials said on Saturday.

In Oberhausen, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Düsseldorf, police searched three shisha bars and cafes and questioned 62 people.

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Police found numerous violations of coronavirus-related regulations in all of the inspected establishments, and seized "almost 60 kilograms [132 pounds] of untaxed tobacco," acording to a police statement. Authorities additionally seized 133 cans of tobacco during their searches in other towns.

Hundreds of police officers and tax and customs officials were involved in the raids, which affected 14 additional shisha bars and 89 people in six other towns.

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Police said they found no indication that clan structures or organized crime networks posed a major threat in Oberhausen, but that the raids were necessary to prevent nearby controls from driving crime into the city.

"Actions like this will be repeated, because shisha bars can also be a communication and retreat level for the people we are currently focusing on," said Dietmar Leyendecker, head of Oberhausen police operations. "In this way, we will bring these people out of anonymity and want to stop the possible spread of organized crime and the consolidation of criminal structures right from the start."

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The focus of the raids were to target drug trafficking, tax evasion, illicit work and illegal cigarette trafficking, the statement said.

"Not all businesses should be lumped together," said Martin Berger, the press spokesman for the City of Oberhausen. "But action must be taken against companies that do not comply with the law. We are sending a clear signal to the protection and safety of the people in Oberhausen."

lc/rc (dpa)