Drug trafficking offenses in Germany increased by 2.9 percent in 2021

Drug trafficking offenses in Germany increased by 2.9 percent in 2021, according to an official report presented on Thursday.

According to the report by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Government’s Drug and Addiction Commissioner Burkhard Blienert, most of the narcotics seized by police and customs authorities were smuggled into Germany by land and sea.

Meanwhile, “as a distribution channel, the internet has become further established,” the authorities added.

Seizures of cocaine and methamphetamine in particular are increasing. The amount of cocaine confiscated by German authorities in 2021 more than doubled year-on-year to at least 23 tons, according to the report.

This year, more than a ton of cocaine was found in a sea container in Aschaffenburg, the single largest quantity of cocaine seized in the federal state of Bavaria to date. According to officials, the container had come from the Dominican Republic, and entered Germany at the port of Hamburg.

Cannabis trafficking offenses accounted for almost 60 percent of all narcotics trafficking offenses last year, according to the report. These figures come at a time when Germany is discussing the legalization of cannabis.

At the end of October, the German government approved key points on controlled cannabis sales. Cannabis would be sold to adults in licensed stores, for recreational purposes. However, the plans need to be approved by the EU Commission first.

Chairman of the German police union (DPolG) Rainer Wendt warned that the German government was planning a “dangerous and irresponsible experiment with the health of people, particularly children and young people.”