Drug bust at the Hofgarten Police take action against suspected drug dealers

Bonn · On Wednesday, police filed seven criminal charges against suspected drug dealers during a large-scale drug bust at the Hofgarten in Bonn. The police found several bags of marijuana stashed in trees.

Actually, the group of young men should have known better. They had already been picked up by the police on Wednesday afternoon during a drug search at Bonn's Hofgarten. Only a few hours later they were again standing at the entrance of the underground station Universität/Markt. And again the police arrested them - although they had been ordered to leave the area.

It is almost a common sight in the Hofgarten: Several buses of police drive up quickly and position themselves in front of the public transport station. From all sides, around 30 police officers surround the square. They also come up from the stairway that leads from the underground station. It allows them to block the way out in case someone wants to flee to the underground subway. The group of 14 young men has no chance to escape. And they cooperate with police - at least for the time being.

"The Hofgarten is not only a focal point for us because of more recent incidents," says police spokesman Simon Rott. There have been bloody brawls, a knife attack, countless drug offenses. Once a young man fired a blank gun into the air, causing panic. Drug offenses and assaults in the entire inner-city area had already been increasingly taken under the spotlight. "But we are also reacting here to the complaints from the population," said Rott. And they have increased. Some people in Bonn perceive the Hofgarten as a frightening place as soon as it gets dark, women are approached in a vulgar manner, young people are offered marijuana. Even if the crime rate drops statistically: "The feeling of being secure also counts".

Large scale operations like the one on Wednesday evening contribute to the feeling of insecurity. The passers-by stop and ask what happened. When asked what they think about these police operations, there is almost always a positive response. But for some it seems a bit too much. They did not feel insecure, because they say drug dealing had always existed. The Hofgarten is an ideal place for dealing drugs because of its spaciousness and proximity to the subway.

Anyone who can't prove their identity must go to the station

This is known by the group of people being checked by police. If the young men, including three minors, acted rather subdued at first, they gained self-confidence with every minute they stood in front of the stop in their jogging pants. First they discuss, then they gesture. Until the police become active again. Four buses of police have parked in a way to surround them. A kind of mobile office, as chief Ralf Weinbach explains: "Here the people are searched, photos are taken of them and identities are determined."

Anyone who can't prove their identity must come to the station and leave their fingerprints. The minors are processed first - so that they can be picked up by their parents as quickly as possible. But as soon as they resist, the policemen grab them tighter and push them against the side of the vehicle. All these processes have been rehearsed and planned a long time ago. The preparation for such an operation takes one to two weeks.

"Intervention operations in the inner city area are constantly in progress," says Simon Rott. The procedure is always the same: plain clothes police officers observe potential dealers and take note. Sometimes they pick up the suspects on their own, sometimes they are later searched during a raid. Then they usually discover large amounts of cash, packets of marijuana and hidden stashes through the use of sniffer dogs. Dealers hide their drugs, so that they always carry only small amounts on their person.

In the afternoon, eight packets of marijuana and 835 euros in small bills were found amongst the group of young men. In the evening, five more criminal charges were filed. Two drug stashes in trees and at the subway platform could not yet be traced to a person or persons. Despite police efforts, the suspected drug dealers will presumably come back. The demand is high and they can earn good money.

(Orig. text: Nicolas Ottersbach, Translation: Carol Kloeppel)

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