Brutal charges in the Cologne drug war: new dimension of violence!

Brutal charges in the Cologne drug war: new dimension of violence!

On January 9, 2025, the Cologne public prosecutor presented the first charges in connection with the conflict known as the "Cologne War". The accusations concern several men, including an adolescent who has to answer for serious bodily harm and deprivation of freedom in front of the youth criminal chamber. According to Tageschau.de , the accused are said to have already tied up and brutally abused in a warehouse in Hürth near Cologne. Another alleged perpetrator is charged with a help for a kidnapping in Cologne-Rodenkirchen.

The kidnapping was stopped by a special operational command (SEK) in early July 2024. In this violent act, a young woman and her cousin suffered serious physical injuries. The trigger for these attacks was a failed drug delivery: 700 kilograms of cannabis were to be delivered from the Netherlands to a drug gang in Cologne-Kalk, with 350 kilograms disappearing. The investigation shows that the kidnaps were part of a brutal strategy of the drug gangs to put pressure on and to get lost goods back or to collect open payments, such as tag24.de reported.

escalation of violence

After the kidnapping, there was a dramatic escalation of the drug war, which was expressed in several acts of violence. Explosions in front of houses, shops and even in a discotheque were registered. A particularly tragic incident occurred in Solingen, where an explosive device detonated in the hands of a 17-year-old Dutch, which led to his death. As a result, the police arrested a total of 18 men to put an end to the series of attacks.

In the context of the intensifying situation for this, Cologne criminal director Michael Esser explained that violence is a "new dimension of violence in the field of organized crime" in Germany. According to Deutschlandfunk Nova , the investigation shows that the drug gangs receive support from drug mafia in the Netherlands, which increases the complexity of the problem.

background and spoiling dynamics

The Cologne drug war is primarily fought between regional drug gangs, with a connection to the Dutch "Mocro-Mafia" initially suspected. According to the reports, a change in the Operandi mode of the German drug gangs is shown. They are increasingly relying on violence to fuel fear and consolidate their position of power. Criminologist Robin Hofmann from the University of Maastricht warns that this violent crime is a serious threat to democracy.

The roots of drug crime in the Netherlands go back to the 1970s when the first coffee shops were opened. Since then, the situation has changed to the port of Rotterdam, which has now become the hub of European cocaine trading. Oliver Huth, a German criminal officer, demands improved powers for the police and warns of a possible strengthening of violence between drug gangs in Germany.