Major customs raid in Stuttgart: Illegal shisha tobacco and weapons discovered!

Major customs raid in Stuttgart: Illegal shisha tobacco and weapons discovered!

In the Stuttgart area, customs officers and investigators from the State Criminal Police Office have carried out a large-scale raid in recent days targeting the illegal trade in tobacco products. In the Rems-Murr district in particular, several properties were searched where the authorities had raised suspicions of undeclared work and illegality. Loud SWR Current Around 100 officers were deployed to examine a total of 20 residential and commercial properties in the Stuttgart, Rems-Murr and Esslingen regions.

The investigators have become suspicious that several people from the Stuttgart region are producing illegal tobacco products and not paying taxes when selling them. Particular attention is paid to the operators of a shisha bar and a car repair shop, where over 550 kilograms of untaxed shisha tobacco were seized. This amount was probably intended for the operation of the shisha bar, according to a report by Stuttgart News emerges.

Finds during the raid

The customs investigators discovered not only the illegal tobacco, but also various weapons and other dangerous items. Manipulative devices for changing speedometer displays and two vehicles with manipulated speedometer displays were found in the vehicle workshop. The officers also found a baton disguised as a flashlight, an attachment for a blank gun, a stun gun, pyrotechnics, testosterone ampoules and almost 10,000 euros in cash. This indicates an extensive criminal network.

Investigators from the Special Focus Unit of the State Criminal Police Office are also investigating possible connections to violent subcultural groups. The Aalen police headquarters and the Waiblingen criminal police are also involved in the investigation. The suspicion of social security fraud, as employees were paid outside of the official payroll system, further strengthens the suspicions raised so far.

Black work in focus

The raid comes in a context where an increase in cases of undeclared work has been noted in the region. About two weeks ago, Stuttgart customs had already initiated investigations into people who were illegally smuggled into Germany from China and Georgia. Around 7,400 confiscated sunglasses and 28,400 children's wristwatches from China have already been secured as evidence. These developments show that the authorities want to take decisive action against illegal activities and further uncover the network behind these crimes.

It is still unclear whether any suspicious people were arrested during the searches. What is certain, however, is that the responsible authorities will continue to pursue the criminal proceedings in the next steps.