German Duo Bought Darknet Drugs to Resell

Since 2015, according to an announcement by German police in, a couple in Aichwald had ordered and resold ecstasy, amphetamine, and hashish from darknet vendors. The couple had allegedly set up “shop” in an apartment in Aichwald, a small municipality in the Esslingen district of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. From there, in addition to buying drugs for resale, they pressed ecstasy tablets. A 37-year-old male suspect is currently in police custody.

A package interception in February led to their September 14th arrest. Police officials explained that investigators seized a “suspicious package” addressed to the 34-year-old fiance in mid-February. At the time of the announcement, the Esslingen police had not clarified how they had connected the couple’s activities to the year 2015. The investigation, however, allegedly began with the package seizure.

The package in question contained 250 grams of amphetamine paste. It set investigators and the Esslingen criminal police “on the trail” of the two drug traffickers. More than half of a year later, police came within days of the apartment raid that led to the arrest of both drug dealers. Although the announcement simply lacked clarity as any boilerplate press release would, Esslingen police sounded unaware of the scale of any current or ongoing drug production. They either knew that it had occurred or were completely unaware.

On September 14, police raided the apartment. Inside they found more than 1,000 ecstasy tablets, 750 grams of amphetamine (not described as paste), and 70 grams of hashish. They also discovered lab equipment needed for creating ecstasy tablets. And lastly, according to the announcement, the police seized several kilograms of pill binders used in the production of the ecstasy pills.

Law enforcement arrested both suspects on charges of drug distribution and drug production. The pair of dealers appeared before a judge at the District Court in Stuttgart on September 15. The court verified the arrest warrant filed by the Stuttgart prosecutor. And, for unannounced reasons, the Stuttgart Prosecutor’s Office ordered the release of the 34-year-old fiance.

With respect to the events that transpired at the District Court in Stuttgart, the 37-year-old received the majority of the blame. For instance, “the 37-year-old suspect had regularly purchased large amounts of narcotics on the Darknet to make ecstasy tablets for resale.” While left unexplained, the 34-year-old may have only been minimally involved or aware of the criminal activity; although the Esslingen criminal police suspect both parties, the only compelling evidence may be against the elder of the two.