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In a coordinated operation targeting organized drug crime, police forces across Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain launched raids on residential and commercial properties early on Thursday.<\/p>\n
A total of 32 properties have been searched and 11 arrest warrants have been executed, the office for the prosecution of organized crime in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and local police in Bonn said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Additionally, one person has been temporarily detained.<\/p>\n
The operation primarily targeted the area around Cologne and Bonn in western Germany, the statement said.<\/p>\n
Investigations are ongoing. The raids are part of a preliminary inquiry into suspected drug trafficking involving “significant quantities,” it said.<\/p>\n
The goal of the operation is to secure evidence and assets related to the alleged criminal activities, the statement added.<\/p>\n
The police and public prosecutor’s office are due to announce more details about the crackdown at a press conference in Bonn on Friday.<\/p>\n
North Rhine-Westphalia’s interior minister Herbert Reul called the Europe-wide operation a successful move in the fight against organized crime. “No hiding place is safe, no border protects against prosecution,” he said.<\/p>\n
However, he warned that the case also shows that one year after the partial legalisation of cannabis in Germany, the illegal trade in the drug continues to rise.<\/p>\n