German customs officials have seized 400 kilograms of heroin hidden inside rolls of paper at the port of Hamburg. The container, originating from Singapore, had been previously scanned at an X-ray facility on December 5, but authorities disclosed the seizure only now for investigative reasons.
The drugs were packaged into 400 parcels and are estimated to have a street value of around €32 million ($38 million), making this one of the largest single heroin confiscations in Germany in recent years. By comparison, authorities report that only about 144 kilograms of heroin were seized across the country in all of 2024.
Following the discovery, customs investigators conducted searches at residential and business premises in Bremen, Bremerhaven, and Osterholz-Scharmbeck on January 21, seizing electronic evidence for analysis. The investigations are being conducted under the Bremen public prosecutor’s office.
Tino Igelmann, head of the Customs Criminal Investigation Office in Cologne, described the seizure as a major blow to organized crime and praised German customs for its success in combating cross-border criminal activity.
