Food at the center of the investigation
Last weekend, the police in North Rhine-Westphalia carried out a major raid against family clans of Arab origin, which finance themselves through, among other things, illegal arcades, manipulated machines, tax evasion and extortion of protection money. The raid began in Essen-Kray, where shisha bars, betting shops, bars and tea rooms were targeted. The investigators also focused on a camouflaged gaming club on the corner of Tempelhof and Heinrich-Sense-Weg.
Over 300 police officers took part in the searches of the locations in Essen alone. The investigators quickly found what they were looking for. A total of nine manipulated slot machines were confiscated in five locations. Safety deficiencies were found in 21 other playground equipment. On top of that, investigators discovered a hidden entrance behind a cabinet in a billiards parlor. This led to a back room where there were three illegal slot machines and a poker table.
According to statements from the Essen police chief, the Ruhr metropolis is the main center of illegal activities. A special police unit has been monitoring the clans' activities for years. The tax and customs authorities and gambling experts from the district government are now also involved in the investigation. Violations are regularly recorded in restaurants and arcades. This also applies to the Corona protection regulations.
Food is an important pillar of the organized clans, which largely get their money from manipulated luckSpielautomaten. The machines in particular would serve as money printing machines for families. Many restaurateurs are also said to be under pressure from the clans to install the machines. This is accompanied by tax evasion, extortion and money laundering.
Raids throughout the Ruhr area
In total, over 1,000 police officers were deployed against the clans on Saturday. Further investigations were carried out, for example, in Duisburg, Bochum, Mülheim, Gelsenkirchen, Dortmund, Wuppertal, Herne and in the Mettmann district. In all locations, the police were able to discover additional manipulated gaming machines or illegal gambling locations. In Duisburg, among other things, they came across an arcade in what was supposed to be a tea room.
16 unregistered slot machines were confiscated there. The bottom line is that as a result of the Duisburg raid, the North Rhine-Westphalia police can look back on a record that is as impressive as it is frightening. 19 machines, 34,000 euros in cash and three kilos of illegal shisha tobacco were confiscated. In addition, eleven restaurants were closed due to serious violations of the Corona regulations.
In Bochum, 20 kilograms of duty-unpaid shisha tobacco were also seized. Investigators also carried out over 50 personal checks here. It is not yet known whether any arrests were made. It is clear that the police have seized a total of one ton of illegal shisha tobacco in Bochum since 2019.
Praise from politicians
Local politicians were pleased with the successful large-scale raid and congratulated the police. Thomas Kufen (CDU), Mayor of Essen, spoke of the right tactics and would encourage cooperation between the cities, the police and other authorities. It has been shownigt that the state does not look away when it comes to clan crime and illegal gambling and presents itself as offensive and defensive.
The NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) also supported this action and advocated a zero-tolerance strategy. They don't want to give the criminal clans a legal freedom. It is not the law of the family that applies, but that of the state. However, you cannot reverse an undesirable development of over 30 years straight away, which is why perseverance is necessary.
The LKA presented a situation report on clan crime in North Rhine-Westphalia in November 2019. In the state, at least 104 clan families are giving each other a hand. From 2016 to 2018, around 6,500 suspected clan members are said to have committed over 14,000 crimes. NRW GLI easily joins the ranks of the clan hotspots Berlin, Bremen, Lower Saxony and East USA.
Gambling raids also in Austria
Several large-scale gambling raids in Austria recently made headlines. The authorities in neighboring USA have also been challenged for some time by a real gambling mafia. A total of 38 illegal slot machines were seized during the police operation, and two poker tables were also confiscated. The operation was accompanied by the closure of several illegal gambling operations.
In Austria, however, the fight against criminal groups appears far more hopeless. Some of the play equipment is replaced overnight. In addition, the seizure is made more difficult for investigators by encasing the machines in concrete or attaching them to the ground with threaded rodsigt. There have also been reports of devices prepared with irritant gas. Doors should also be energized when police officers approach.
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