German police carried out another massive raid against biker gangs on Thursday morning, sending around 1,000 police officers to more than 7...
German police carried out another massive raid against biker gangs on Thursday morning, sending around 1,000 police officers to more than 70 addresses in and around Berlin – and special forces to one clubhouse. Commandos from the GSG 9 busted into a building at 5am, smashing windows, using stun grenades and shooting dead a dog in the small town of Henningsdorf just north of the capital. As the day wore on and the arrested men were removed, detectives started tearing the walls apart looking for hidden drugs and weapons. Unlike raids across northern Germany last month, including one in Berlin which had to be brought forward after details were leaked to the gang, Thursday’s operation targeted the Bandidos gang rather than their rivals the Hells Angels. Officers struck at 74 flats and buildings used by the gang, with the aim of breaking up drug dealing operations and combating organized crime, a police spokesman said. Seven outstanding arrest warrants against members of the Bandido chapter Del Este were also executed. The club’s president, a former policeman named only as Thorsten S., was also arrested on a warrant for robbery. Public prosecutors have been investigating the gang since last year, and the raid had been planned for more than a month, even though the Bandidos have not been officially banned. The police spokesman said there was no connection with the Berlin Hells Angels club ban and ensuing raid last month. That raid was undermined by a leaked tip which police fear came from within their ranks, which enabled the Hells Angels to officially dissolve their club and move their money elsewhere.
