Tag: Drug criminal law in Germany

Categories
Cybercrime

Shutdown of Cryptomixer.io

From November 24 to 28, 2025, German and Swiss law enforcement authorities, supported by Europol and Eurojust, conducted a large-scale operation against the cryptocurrency mixing service Cryptomixer.io. Three servers in Switzerland were seized, the domain was blocked, and cryptocurrencies worth approximately 25 million euros were confiscated. Additionally, more than 12 terabytes of data were secured by investigators. Since its launch in 2016, Cryptomixer.io had been one of the largest Bitcoin mixers, anonymizing transactions by pooling coins from various users and redistributing them in smaller amounts to new addresses. This method disrupts the transaction chain and complicates traceability—a service primarily used in the underground economy and for obfuscating illicit financial flows.

The platform was accessible both on the clear web and the darknet, processing billions in transactions, many of which were linked to illegal activities such as ransomware attacks, drug and arms trafficking, or fraud. After the seizure, authorities placed a notice on the website warning that anyone using the service could face investigation. Whether this warning applies universally or requires nuanced consideration is a key question for those affected.

Continue reading “Shutdown of Cryptomixer.io”
Categories
Criminal Defense

“Port Insider” Cases in german Narcotics Offenses

The importation and trafficking of narcotics in significant quantities rank among the most serious offenses under German narcotics law. Particularly contentious are cases involving so-called “port insiders”—individuals who, due to their knowledge of port operations or their professional positions in seaports, facilitate the retrieval or transport of drugs. In recent years, the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) has issued several landmark rulings on this topic, clarifying not only the distinction between perpetration and accessory liability but also refining the legal assessment of logistical support activities. These decisions demonstrate the complexity of classifying such actions, especially when determining whether an individual should be considered a principal offender or merely an accomplice.

Continue reading ““Port Insider” Cases in german Narcotics Offenses”
Categories
Criminal Defense Cybercrime

Cybercrime criminal defense in Germany: Cybercrime investigations in transition

The way digital investigators work in Germany and Europe today has changed fundamentally—something that not all stakeholders have noticed yet. As a criminal defense attorney, I have been observing how things are changing in my own cybercrime cases for years—in addition to the wealth of information I receive from my network of clients and colleagues. And I can only say: it’s time to wake up. German investigators in particular are extremely persistent and know how to make the most of international instruments. Above all, the special public prosecutor’s offices in Cologne, Frankfurt, and Bamberg must be kept on the international radar.

Continue reading “Cybercrime criminal defense in Germany: Cybercrime investigations in transition”
Categories
Cybercrime Cybersecurity

Cybercrime in North Korea and the threat to the cryptocurrency industry

North Korea is one of the main perpetrators of the growing threat to cyber security. At least since the attack on Sony Pictures in 2014, the country has been perceived as a major cyber player on the international stage. Since then, Pyongyang has used its hacking skills to circumvent international sanctions and steal funds.

Pyongyang was able to use the captured funds to finance the development of its nuclear and missile program. North Korea also uses cyber operations for (digital) espionage. The targets are wide-ranging: they are directed against universities, human rights organizations and media companies, create discontent or distrust through election fraud and attack critical national infrastructures. The increasing importance of North Korea in the area of cybercrime and cybersecurity is also the reason why we maintain a separate blog post on the topic here.

As an example, a study by Recorded Future’s Insikt Group paints an alarming picture of North Korean cybercrime. These activities, which have increased since 2017, target the cryptocurrency industry and have enabled North Korea to steal an estimated 3 billion dollars in cryptocurrencies.

Continue reading “Cybercrime in North Korea and the threat to the cryptocurrency industry”
Categories
Criminal Defense

Dubai Unlocked: The dark side of the glittering real estate world

The latest expose called “Dubai Unlocked” provides insights into the underbelly of Dubai’s luxury real estate market. This comprehensive investigation uncovers how individuals from the international elite, including criminals, politicians and sanctioned individuals, invest in the desert metropolis’ real estate business. Through leaked data, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in collaboration with 74 media partners worldwide, was able to conduct a detailed analysis of ownership structures in Dubai and bring questionable transactions to light.

Continue reading “Dubai Unlocked: The dark side of the glittering real estate world”
Categories
Criminal Defense

Criminal liability for importing narcotics into Germany – what foreign actors need to know

Germany takes a strict stance on the importation of narcotics. Both physically bringing drugs across the border and assisting in doing so can lead to significant prison sentences. Foreign participants – from couriers to organizers – regularly come into contact with German criminal law. The case law of the Federal Court of Justice (BGH), Germany’s highest criminal court, shows how nuanced, yet strict, the evaluation of such offenses is.

Continue reading “Criminal liability for importing narcotics into Germany – what foreign actors need to know”
Categories
Criminal Defense Technology- & IT-Law

BiotechCrime: Biotechnology and biohacking as a criminal offense

Biotechnology ranges from traditional genetic engineering to the development of personalized medicine and synthetic biology, which modifies biological systems using a modular principle. Thanks to CRISPR-Cas9, DNA can be edited in a targeted manner, while biotechnological processes are increasingly being used in industrial production – whether for the manufacture of medicines, artificial organisms or even drugs. But where innovations sprout, there are also legal and ethical pitfalls.

Biotechnology not only opens up unimagined medical and economic opportunities, but also harbors considerable risks, particularly in the area of crime. I summarize this new dimension of criminally relevant offences under the keyword “BiotechCrime “.

Continue reading “BiotechCrime: Biotechnology and biohacking as a criminal offense”
Categories
Criminal Defense

Trenbolone and punishable doping in Germany

In a recent article, Manager-Magazin (MM) highlighted an alarming development in the field of weight training: trenbolone, a steroid originally developed for cattle breeding, has become a dangerous trend in bodybuilding and recreational sports. Under the guise of fitness and body cult, a substance is being celebrated whose side effects and risks are alarming.

Continue reading “Trenbolone and punishable doping in Germany”
Categories
Criminal Defense

Captagon in German criminal law: an overview

Captagon, also known as fenetylline, is a psychoactive stimulant originally developed in Germany in the 1960s by the Degussa Pharma Group. Originally used as a medication to treat attention deficit disorder and narcolepsy, Captagon was regulated and eventually banned internationally in the 1980s due to its misuse as an illegal drug.

Today, Captagon is primarily known as a drug that is produced and traded illegally in the Middle East and also poses a challenge to criminal law in Germany.

Continue reading “Captagon in German criminal law: an overview”
Categories
Criminal Defense Cybercrime

The Challenge of Investigating and Defending Against Cryptomessenger Cases in Germany and Europe

In recent years, law enforcement agencies across Europe have made headlines with high-profile operations targeting encrypted messaging services like EncroChat, ANOM, SkyECC, and more recently, Ghost. These services, which were primarily used by organized criminal networks, have posed significant challenges for both investigators and defense attorneys.

The takedown of these platforms has led to the capture of massive amounts of data, often including millions of messages that were previously thought to be inaccessible due to advanced encryption. While these operations, like “Project Overclock,” have been celebrated as major successes in the fight against organized crime, they also raise significant concerns, particularly when it comes to the rights of defendants and the difficulties their legal teams face.

Continue reading “The Challenge of Investigating and Defending Against Cryptomessenger Cases in Germany and Europe”