German police seize 900 rounds of ammunition, drugs, luxury watches, jewelry and 30,000 euros in cash during searches of 16 properties in two western provinces as part of an operation to fight organized crime, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The police were also looking for evidence of links with the radical organization "Citizens of the Reich", which denies the legitimacy of the modern German state. In the raids carried out in the provinces of North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, specialized police units were involved, and properties were searched in the cities of Osnabrück and Hanover, the police and the prosecutor's office in Osnabrück announced yesterday.
Officials said a farm in East Westphalia was effectively a professional cannabis plantation. The police confiscated 160 plants, 440 seedlings and about 3 kilograms of collected marijuana. Officers also found numerous marijuana seedlings and plants on a neighboring property, as well as 900 cartridges, including for Kalashnikov assault rifles.
There were indications that a local resident belonged to the organization "Citizens of the Reich".
Members of the organization believe that the modern German Republic illegally replaced the German Reich, which was founded in 1871 and lasted until 1945. They reject the legitimacy of the modern state of Germany and its laws. There have been repeated raids targeting the group, which is believed to have planned the violent overthrow of the German government in a plot uncovered in 2022. Various alleged members are currently on trial, including suspected ringleader Prince Heinrich Thirteen.
In the other objects searched yesterday, the police found a revolver with blank cartridges, fake business registration certificates, IT equipment, illegal knives and a stun gun.
Since the end of last year, investigators have been on the trail of 12 people suspected of selling drugs in Osnabrück and neighboring areas in North Rhine-Westphalia. The gang members are professionals who have organized their operations and taken precautions to avoid prosecution, a police spokesman said.
Police noted that the legal situation regarding drugs had changed during the course of the investigation, following the legalization of cannabis in April, but that the operations were still important as part of efforts to combat organized crime.
The new laws limit the amount of cannabis that can be grown, but illegal cultivation can still be very profitable, said Alexander Rettemeyer, a spokesman for the Osnabrück prosecutor's office.