Overview
- Police say organised-crime groups recruit young men abroad, fly them in on short tourist visas for assigned threats and extortion, and have them leave quickly after the crimes.
- Investigators reported more armed clashes in 2025, including increased gunfire and a December incident in which a hand grenade was thrown into a venue as a threat.
- The conflicts are tied to turf battles over the drug trade as well as coercion of successful business owners through so‑called protection payments, reinforced by shots fired at buildings.
- Berlin police cite numerous raids and arrests, a mix of covert and visible deployments, and coordination with other German states and international partners to counter the groups.
- Police President Barbara Slowik Meisel says current law limits follow-up to weapons-law charges when illegal guns are found, prompting the call to expand Paragraph 100a to permit rapid monitoring and to prevent re-arming.