Arrests made after a raid on a large drug lab
German authorities arrested four people and placed them in pre-trial detention after discovering a professional drug manufacturing lab in the town of Kerpen in North Rhine-Westphalia. The customs office in Essen reported that the lab spanned an area of 1,500 square meters inside an old agricultural property and was used for producing amphetamines.
During the raid, approximately 30 liters of amphetamine base and 60 liters of raw materials needed for drug production were seized, along with six firearms, including a military weapon, a quantity of ammunition, and around 30,000 euros in cash, in addition to 40 tons of manufacturing waste.
Investigations have been ongoing since April in collaboration between the Customs Administration and the Köln Public Prosecutor's Office. As part of the operation, special forces from the federal police carried out raids on Wednesday at six locations in Kerpen, Elsdorf, Euskirchen, and Hückelhoven. The operation resulted in the temporary detention of 24 individuals, and a judge from the Köln court issued arrest warrants for four of them on charges related to drug trafficking and manufacturing.
Customs indicated that the lab was "highly professional" and that methamphetamine was being manufactured during the raid. According to investigators' estimates, about a ton of methamphetamine base could be produced from the seized waste.
As stated by the spokesperson for the Customs Administration, Thorsten Eickelberg, one of the devices seized – an active reactor – had a capacity of 2300 liters, allowing for the production of hundreds of kilograms of amphetamine. Due to the enormous size of the lab and the danger of the chemicals used, the procedures continued until Friday afternoon, and investigations are still ongoing, with confirmation that the information gathered included data from international security agencies.