Drug war in Cologne: First perpetrator confesses to taking hostages and torture!

Drug war in Cologne: First perpetrator confesses to taking hostages and torture!

A spectacular trial based on the so-called “Cologne Drug War” is currently being heard in the Cologne district court. This trial not only involves taking hostages and violence, but also a surprising confession. The defendant Sudnyson B. has written to apologize to several men whom he is said to have taken hostage and tortured in a warehouse in Hürth. His confession was read out by Judge Tilman Müller in the justice building on Wednesday. The case is just one of many recent events that have cast a negative light on drug-related crime in the region. According to a recent report in the Kölnischer Stadt-Anzeiger, Sudnyson B., who also wanted to offer the hostages money as restitution, is facing a prison sentence of more than nine years.

Among the victims is Saddam B., who is himself accused of drug offenses in a parallel trial. The allegations against Sudnyson B. and his co-defendants are serious: They are said to have tied up and mistreated hostages on behalf of suspected drug gangs. The men involved are even threatened that their toenails will be pulled out. The background to the horror is a robbery of 350 kilograms of marijuana, which is said to have been made possible by betrayal within the Kalk drug gang. A total of around 40 people are currently involved in these criminal activities.

Drug crime in Germany

The problem surrounding drug-related crime is not new in Germany, but it is taking on worrying features. According to the Statista report, around 347,000 drug crime cases were registered in 2023, an increase of 2 percent compared to the previous year. Approximately 208,000 of those cases involved cannabis, which has been partially legal since April 1, 2024. The higher proportion of cannabis cases remains consistently above 90 percent, despite a slight decrease in overall drug-related crimes.

The current proceedings in Cologne are part of a much larger wave of drug crimes affecting the region and other parts of the country. In addition to the hostage-taking in Hürth, explosions and other acts of violence in connection with drug-related crime are also commonplace. In June 2024, for example, 700 kilograms of marijuana were stolen from a warehouse in Hürth. A 22-year-old defendant, Aymen G., and his accomplices tied up and mistreated their opponents during the attack. The security precautions at the Cologne trials were therefore increased in order to prevent possible further incidents.

The structures of drug gangs also appear to be changing: detectives are reporting a new phenomenon called “crime as a service”. Drug gangs are increasingly recruiting young men from precarious backgrounds in the Netherlands. These young perpetrators accept the jobs for low pay, which makes the situation even more complicated and dangerous.

The Cologne drug war is not only a local problem, but also a national one. The police arrests of 23 suspects in January 2025 represent at least a small success in the fight against drug crime, but it remains to be seen how the situation will develop further. There seems to be a lot of movement on this front and the courts will be busy in the near future.

It remains exciting for the citizens of Cologne to see how the upcoming negotiations and verdicts will affect security and the handling of drug-related crime in the region. The challenges are enormous and the need for effective measures is becoming increasingly urgent.