Overview

• Seven men went on trial in Cologne accused of organized trafficking tied to roughly 40 tonnes of cocaine moved in ten container shipments.
• Prosecutors say the cocaine was hidden among bananas, pineapples, wheat flour or wood from Ecuador and other ports, with an alleged Dubai-based backer paying about €250,000 per container.
• Most consignments were intercepted during customs checks in Hamburg or earlier in Rotterdam, and six defendants signaled they would make statements as hearings run through March 2026.
• Separately, Dresden prosecutors filed indictments against four men over more than two tonnes of heroin allegedly disguised as soap and sent in three sea shipments in 2021 and 2022.
• One accused was arrested in Tirana in November 2024 and is alleged to have procured additional opium and heroin processed in Iran, while co-defendants face further counts and some have prior trial outcomes.