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Police smash Germany’s biggest online drug market

German authorities said Friday they took down the country's largest internet marketplace for narcotics and arrested 11 suspects from Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.

Published: 28 June 2019 12:12 CEST
Police smash Germany's biggest online drug market
Seized cannabis on a table during a press conference at the Federal Criminal Police Office in Wiesbaden on Friday. Photo: DPA

Police and prosecutors said in a statement that they worked for more than a year to smash the so-called Chemical Revolution site, which sold amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, cannabis, ecstasy, LSD and other synthetic drugs.

Accepting Bitcoin payments, the site started operations in September 2017 and was allegedly run by a 26-year-old German man. He has been in custody since May.

The latest suspects arrested – eight Germans aged 24 to 35, two Poles aged 32 and 44 and a 43-year-old Dutchman – managed the acquisition, packaging, transport and distribution of the illicit wares.

Significant stash of drugs found

The police operation made its first swoop in early 2018 with the arrest of a German man in the eastern state of Brandenburg found with a significant stash of drugs at his home.

Between February and May 2019, German investigators working with colleagues in Poland, the Netherlands, France and Spain arrested another 10 suspects.

Ecstasy pills were also seized. Photo: DPA

The statement by authorities Friday did not provide information on the total amount of drugs sold on the site or its revenues before it was shut down.

During a press conference in Wiesbaden, investigators showed some of the drugs seized, including piles of cannabis and ecsta

In May, German authorities announced that they had dismantled the world's second largest darknet market.

The “Wall Street Market” site traded in narcotics as well as stolen data, fake documents and malicious software.

READ ALSO: German police shut down major 'darknet' illegal trading site

The encrypted platform had more than one million customer accounts, over 5,000 registered sellers and more than 60,000 sales listings.

Investigators believe the operators of Chemical Revolution also sold drugs on Wall Street Market.

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POLICE

Danish police announce summer focus on driving under the influence

Police in Denmark say they will place increased focus in coming weeks on drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and narcotics.

Published: 24 July 2023 15:20 CEST
Danish police announce summer focus on driving under the influence

Additional police resources will be put into catching drunk and narcotics-taking drivers in all of the country’s police districts, with exact measures varying locally the National Police (Rigspolitiet) said in a press statement.

Patrols could place themselves near areas where there is increased likelihood of drinking, such as in seaside towns or summerhouse areas.

Breathalysing could also become more frequent on Sundays, with police checking whether drivers are over the limit from weekend festivities.

The campaign is taking place because of the many social events during the summer at which alcohol is consumed, the National Police said in the statement.

Driving under the influence is something “markedly more Danes are rejecting” according to officer with the National Police communications unit, Christian Berthelsen.

“But despite that there are still some motorists who haven’t got the message. The aim of our patrol is to stop them,” he said.

“We should all help each other to stop drunk driving but it can be difficult to persuade another person not to drive. Especially if you’re not sure how much he or she has had to drink,” he said.

READ ALSO: How strict are the punishments for driving offences in Denmark?

One in five fatal road traffic accidents in Denmark involves a driver who is over legal limits, according to police statistics. The vast majority of such accidents occur late on weekend evenings. The majority of people who lose their lives in the accidents are the intoxicated drivers themselves.

Some 163 people in Denmark were killed between 2017 and 2021 in an accident involving a motorist who was under the influence of alcohol. June and July are the months in which these accidents occur most frequently.

June 2022 saw 635 people charged by police for driving under the influence of alcohol and 724 for driving under the influence of narcotics.

The heightened police focus on intoxicated drivers began Monday and will continue until August 6th.

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