On March 27, 2025, a significant operation targeting organized drug crime unfolded across Europe, involving police searches in countries such as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.

The operation resulted in the arrest of thirteen individuals, with ten detained in Germany and extradition requests made for three others.

During the operation, there were notable incidents, including a shooting in Maastricht, Netherlands, where a police officer sustained minor injuries.

Investigations are focused on 21 suspects, aged between 25 and 62, linked to the importation of approximately 1.3 tons of marijuana and 13 kilograms of cocaine from the Netherlands and Spain.

Six members of the gang were involved in organizing the importation of 350 kilograms of cocaine valued at 26 million euros from Colombia and the Dominican Republic, although the shipment was seized during customs checks.

North Rhine-Westphalia's Interior Minister Herbert Reul praised the operation as a successful strike against organized crime, emphasizing the ongoing rise in illegal cannabis trade despite partial legalization.

The gang has been operating since early 2021, reportedly trafficking cannabis in quantities of 200 to 300 kilograms weekly and expanding into cocaine trafficking.

Authorities executed eleven arrest warrants and provisionally detained one additional suspect as part of their efforts to dismantle the criminal network.

Investigators have traced the laundered funds through companies in Germany, Poland, and Dubai, utilizing fake invoices, and have seized a villa in Marbella valued at 1.5 million euros.

Despite setbacks like the seizure of the cocaine shipment, the gang has reportedly laundered at least 2.5 million euros in drug sale profits through a network of shell companies.

Members of the gang were found with numerous firearms and were involved in large-scale drug trafficking, distributing significant quantities of marijuana, cocaine, and amphetamine oil.

Further details regarding the crackdown and its findings will be disclosed at a press conference scheduled for March 28, 2025, in Bonn.