German student caught smuggling $12.7 million in cash
A German student was caught by Custom Officials with $12.7 million in cash.
From the AP (via IHT):
German authorities say they seized €8.7 million (US$12.7 million) in cash from a student this year and suspect the money came from cigarette or drug smuggling.
Customs spokesman Wolfgang Schmitz says officers found the money in May. He confirmed a report [...]
German Organized Crime laundering $708 million
In its annual report on organized crime, German law enforcement highlighted the various threats and the illicit revenue generated.
From Deutsche-Welle:
In its annual review on serious and organized crime in Germany, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) announced that new laws were needed to combat child pornography and organized crime.
The BKA’s annual report on organized crime, [...]
German officials bought private data for 850 euros
Data protection officials in Germany easily bought bank account information and phone numbers from the open market.
From BBC News:
The officials say they were able to buy six million items of personal data on the internet, including bank account details and phone numbers.
The data cost just 850 euros (£671), the officials said.
Call centres and lottery firms [...]
Dogs used in Germany to stop rare species trade
German Customs Officials are starting to use dogs specially trained to identify plants and wildlife in an attempt to stamp out smuggling.
From the AP (via MSNBC):
Getting any living thing but yourself past border police at Frankfurt Airport just got tougher.
Amy, a German shepherd, and Uno, a Labrador retriever, have joined the team at one of [...]
Counterfeit Goods Market in Germany
An estimated 70,000 jobs and 20 to 30 billion Euros (25.8 billion to 38.7 billion USD) are lost to German businesses due to counterfeits.
Source: “Counterfeiting thrives in Expanded EU” , Deutshe Welle, 4/26/05, and ” German Customs Seize Record Amounts of Pirated Goods,” Spiegel Online, March 14, 2007.
1,000 human trafficking victims in Germany
Source:Deutsche Welle, ” Report Says World Cup Fears of Human Trafficking Unfounded,” May 8, 2007.
$1.6 billion of counterfeit goods seized in Germany in 2006
In 2006, $1.6 Billion worth of counterfeit goods were seized in Germany, more than five times the 2005 total.
24.5 percent of Germany’s population smoked marijuana
24.5 percent of the population smoked marijuana at least once in their lifetime, and 3.2 percent of the population used cocaine at least once in their lifetime.
Source: 24.5 percent of the population smoked marijuana at least once in their lifetime, and 3.2 percent of the population used cocaine at least once in their lifetime.
