The Frankfurt am Main Customs Investigation Office and the Saarbrücken Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on 5 November 2026 that a large-scale search operation had taken place on 3 November. According to the authorities, investigators uncovered five illegal indoor cannabis farms and seized more than 2,300 plants. The operation covered a total of eleven residential and commercial addresses in the Saarland and in the North Palatine Uplands.
In addition to the plants, officers seized around 33 kilograms of amphetamine, 11.5 kilograms of cannabis, just under one kilogram of hashish, 1.2 kilograms of MDMA and around 500 grams of ecstasy tablets. They also found a tablet press, several weapons and around €22,000 in cash. Investigators consider the finds evidence of a professionally organised operation.
Six suspects arrested in Germany were brought before the investigating judge in Saarbrücken; pre-trial detention warrants were issued in all six cases. The investigation concerns a group of people aged between 22 and 54. According to the authorities, most of the suspects arrested in Germany are Albanian nationals. The presumption of innocence applies.
The investigation was triggered by a customs check in May 2026 in Pirmasens. At the time, according to the authorities, around 20 kilograms of cannabis were found in the boot of a car belonging to a suspected participant in the crime. Subsequent steps led to the coordinated searches now carried out at several locations.
The operation involved customs special forces, the Federal Criminal Police Office’s crime scene unit, the Saarbrücken Main Customs Office and state police forces. According to investigators, the operation was not limited to Germany: further searches took place in parallel in the French region of Grand Est , where a total of 13 people were arrested. The coordination points to cross-border networks and possible distribution routes into France.
The suspected offences include organised cultivation and trafficking of significant quantities of narcotics, as well as, in one case, suspected armed drug dealing. The authorities gave no further details about responsibilities, individual contributions to the alleged offences or possible networks of buyers, citing the ongoing investigation. Charges are expected, depending on the progress of the evidence review.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).