The German federal government has announced a comprehensive overhaul of its strategy to fight organized crime, financial crime, and drug trafficking. On Wednesday, the cabinet approved a joint action plan that was presented at noon in Berlin by the ministers of the Interior, Finance, and Justice.
The plan aims to bring criminal‑law enforcement together under a united, decisive approach, with a particular emphasis on financial crime-including money laundering-and drug crime. To sustainably strengthen law‑enforcement agencies, the plan calls for new legal foundations. These include tighter cooperation between customs and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the use of technological tools for threat prevention and prosecution. At the EU level, the federal government is pushing for appropriate access to information from relevant databases.
Another key focus is the uncovering of criminal activity and illegal financial flows through a “Follow the Money” strategy. Regulations on money‑laundering prevention and asset confiscation are to be further developed, stripping criminal networks of their financial base.
The plan also strengthens the detection of and international cooperation on drug crime. This will be done by establishing a joint analysis and assessment center, “Rauschgift” between the customs criminal office and the BKA. Additionally, the growing production of synthetic drugs in German laboratories will be tackled by tightening monitoring of the raw materials required for production.
Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil (SPD) said, “We are telling organized crime to back down. The perpetrators defraud society, endanger lives, and cause billions of euros in damage each year. Our action plan is a clear message: the rule of law is tightening its grip”. He added that investigators will strike criminals at their most vulnerable point: the money. “Money coming from dubious sources will be seized much faster in the future”.