Overview

• Several thousand customs officers conducted coordinated inspections of restaurants and hotels across Germany in a nationwide action.
• In the Cologne region, more than 100 Finanzkontrolle Schwarzarbeit officers checked 38 establishments and 187 employees across surrounding districts.
• Preliminary findings included eight workers without required permits, 23 suspected cases of unregistered employment for social insurance, 17 suspected minimum wage violations, and four venues with improper time records.
• One person listed for deportation was handed to the immigration authority, and separate incidents involving a 45-year-old Vietnamese man in Erftstadt plus two workers in Cologne prompted immediate investigations.
• Officials said the operation focused on venues already flagged by tips, with further inquiries and proceedings now underway.