Explosive attacks and kidnappings have been shaking North Rhine-Westphalia for several weeks. The so-called “Mocro Mafia” is said to be behind this. Interior Minister Herbert Reul announces new measures in an interview.
Düsseldorf – It’s about drugs, power and violence: explosive attacks and murders have shaken the Netherlands for years. Behind it are gangs that do large-scale business in cocaine, crack and marijuana. There have been repeated explosions in North Rhine-Westphalia for a few weeks now. The investigators see connections with the Dutch gangs, which are considered extremely brutal.
So-called “Mocro-Mafia” from the Netherlands: “Violence is spilling over into Germany”
NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul explains the background in an interview – and how the security authorities want to stop the criminals.
Mr. Reul, can you explain why the Dutch so-called “Mocro Mafia” acts so brutally in this country?
There has always been a lot of violence in the drug environment in the Netherlands. Not so far for us. Obviously this is shifting now because a new market needs to be opened up. This violence is spilling over from the Netherlands to Germany.
The so-called “Mocro Mafia”
► The term comes from the Netherlands. “Mocro” is a slang word for Moroccans. The expression has long been established in Dutch pop culture – the TV series “Mocro Maffia”, which refers to gang crime, is popular there.
► The name is controversial because there is currently no discernible connection between the gangs and a specific origin. According to experts, many members are of Albanian or Moroccan origin, but many also have no migration history or come from other countries.
► Murders are also attributed to the so-called “Mocro Mafia”: In July 2021, the Dutch crime reporter Peter de Vries was gunned down in the middle of downtown Amsterdam. The murder is said to be in connection with a trial against the alleged drug lord Ridouan Taghi, de Vries was an advisor to the key witness.
► In the summer of 2024, Dutch gangsters were involved in a hostage-taking in Cologne: Apparently it was about missing drugs. The criminals tortured their victim.
In your opinion, is there a specific reason for this?
Specifically, drugs went missing. The Dutch drug gangs said: We won’t put up with this, we’ll make a statement. And they use the same brutal methods as in the Netherlands. This is totally new for us. But the security authorities quickly took action and 13 of these guys are now behind bars. In some cases, such as the shooting at a shop in Cologne, we do not yet know whether the Dutch were also involved. Such incidents are also known from the rocker milieu; there has always been violence in the gangs. But we are now seeing a different kind of brutality. This is a general problem. But you shouldn’t confuse all the cases and speculate wildly. The investigators are currently working on this.
Does cannabis legalization in Germany have anything to do with the new activities of Dutch drug gangs here?
The Netherlands has had a liberal drug policy since the 1980s, with the result that the streets and squares have become louder and more violent. That’s a fact. We have now legalized cannabis in Germany, and this is a huge opportunity for Dutch drug gangs to open up a whole new market here. In this respect, there is a connection between legalization and violence, yes.
Do you think there will soon be more violent clashes between Dutch and local gangs?
You can’t rule that out. But I can’t imagine that the Dutch, who now see the opportunity to make a lot of money here, say: We’ll leave it behind now and go back peacefully. Clashes between local and Dutch gangs are certainly conceivable, but that is speculation. One thing is clear: if there were not the increased demand caused by cannabis legalization, the market would not have grown as much.
Bystanders could have been injured in the bomb attacks in Cologne. How do security authorities protect citizens?
The good news is: So far no bystanders have been injured. The attacks so far appear to have been planned to happen at night or in the early hours of the morning. But that can change, and then the danger for uninvolved people is great. We try to prevent this by catching as many perpetrators as possible and sending the signal: It’s not worth it for us, we’ll catch you. Second means that is already being implemented in Cologne: massive police presence to reduce opportunities for such attacks.
Close cooperation with Dutch police
Can the new expanded controls at the Dutch border help to catch potential perpetrators early?
This only really helps when people are wanted with an arrest warrant. We don’t remove someone who officially has nothing on the record and about whom we have no information. In individual cases it can make a difference, but border controls are certainly not the decisive means. However, we are examining other measures in order to have new options under control here.
Will there be closer cooperation with the Dutch police?
There is already very close cooperation with the police in the Netherlands. One of our officers is deployed there on site, and a Dutch colleague works here at the LKA. This is extremely important and makes cross-border police work faster. There is no hesitation and no faxing back and forth, but people know each other and talk to each other. When it comes to blowing up ATMs, we have also seen that this works. Attacks have decreased massively. Here too we had to deal with perpetrators from the Netherlands.
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