The operations took place in Düsseldorf, Wuppertal, Pulheim, Mettmann, Remscheid and other cities. Some arrests were made using special units from the NRW LKA and the Düsseldorf police. In some cases there were indications of possession of weapons. Eight suspects are currently in custody.
The narcotics investigators of the LKA NRW have been investigating 40 suspects on behalf of the Düsseldorf public prosecutor's office since summer 2017. They are suspected of founding, belonging to and supporting a criminal organization in the Düsseldorf area.
The successful investigations are thanks to the effective and rapid cross-state cooperation of numerous law enforcement agencies. The Federal Criminal Police Office, German customs, the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Japanese customs, the Japanese police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Dutch police were all involved.
In 2016 at the latest, the international criminal network joined forces to smuggle kilograms of cocaine, methamphetamine and opium to Australia, the United States of America, Japan and Canada in varying degrees of involvement and to launder the money from the drug trade. The criminals are predominantly Iranian nationals.
In 14 cases, so-called air couriers from North Rhine-Westphalia (Rhine district of Neuss, Cologne, Düsseldorf) and other federal states were recruited for this purpose. Six couriers are in custody in Australia and Japan for importing cocaine and methamphetamine in the kilogram range. The couriers (men and women aged between 22 and 49) were noticed during immigration checks at airports. The drugs were professionally concealed in specially prepared cavities in suitcases. The group of offenders also smuggled hard drugs in postal parcels.
In January 2018, 50 kg of cocaine hidden in an industrial oven was seized in Sydney, Australia.
The investigation is ongoing.