More than 1,000 officers searched more than 100 apartments, business premises, and government offices on Wednesday. Arranging a residence permit in individual cases cost up to 360,000 euros.
The target is 38 suspected gang members and 147 people who are said to have been trafficked. One of the supposed apartments was also an elite boarding school. Six accused have already been brought before the judge. Commercial smuggling carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years. The main suspects are two 42 and 46 year old lawyers from the Cologne area. You could be in the countries of origin but also have a permanent residence in Germany. Special rules of the Residence Act for the self-employed and skilled workers were exploited. The whereabouts of the majority of the 147 people trafficked by the gang are currently unknown. The origin of the investigation was a tip from the German consulate in Canton in China as well as numerous reports of suspected money laundering by banks. Banknote detection dogs were also used. NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) said: "This is a good and important success in the investigation against a gang that wants to fill its pockets with residence permits." In the fight against smuggling gangs, "this high level of investigative pressure and this consistent crackdown" are needed, he said. In 2022, the Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Police registered 4,936 cases. The investigation was started in 2020, but some of the crimes occurred in 2016/2017. The immigration offices concerned are also the subject of the investigation.