Overview
- In the first Hamburg-wide coordinated control of such venues, a multi-agency team searched 17 bars on Monday night.
- Police, customs, district offices and the Hamburg-Mitte tax authority carried out the joint operation across the city.
- Investigators seized illegal gambling machines and several kilograms of tobacco lacking tax markings.
- Safety hazards, including defective or missing carbon monoxide alarms and rooms over legal CO limits, triggered provisional shutdowns at five sites.
- Authorities opened cases over suspected illegal stay, illegal gambling and illegal employment; police reported 145 personnel on the operation, while one outlet put the number near 200, and further LKA-led probes will follow.