August 20 2018
Cops have been cracking down on organized crime this sweltering summer in Berlin, though many say it’s a losing battle.
Police raided 13 apartments last month in the district of Neukölln, trying to track down 16 people they suspect of money laundering. Neighbors looked on in horror as officers snapped pictures, shot video and carted off hardware. The raid followed months of sifting through clues and coordinating with other states’ security forces.
Germany is one of the first choices for gangs worldwide when it comes to washing dirty money, as a Sicilian official recently confirmed. “I’d invest in Germany,” said Robert Scarpinato, Palermo’s public prosecutor. “It’s a gangster’s paradise,” echoed a politician from Germany’s Left Party.