Real estate agent from Ratingen convicted of drug and weapons trafficking

A 34-year-old real estate agent from Ratingen was sentenced to four years and two months in prison at the Düsseldorf Regional Court for trafficking around 100 kilograms of cannabis as well as possession and trafficking of weapons. According to the judge, the accusation of large-scale cocaine trafficking could not be proven in court.

The public prosecutor's office had accused the defendant, who had no previous conviction, of having traded twelve tons of cocaine worth 100 million euros over the years and therefore demanded twelve years in prison.

The court is convinced that the defendant invented the cocaine deals in chat protocols under the name “Nice Guy” only to impress business partners. Witnesses also confirmed no cocaine trafficking. The man confessed to marijuana trafficking and the confiscation of 396,200 euros in proceeds was ordered.

His 31-year-old wife received a ten-month suspended sentence for aiding and abetting marijuana trafficking and must complete 200 hours of community service. Investigators tracked down the 34-year-old after the FBI cracked crypto cell phones and stormed his villa at the end of February. The 34-year-old remains at large under reporting conditions until he begins his prison sentence. The verdict is not yet final.