Unlawful activities and financial offenses in the year 2024
In 2024, the Baden-Württemberg Police made significant strides in combating organized crime, cybercrime, and economic crimes. The police force collaborated with international partners, including law enforcement agencies from the United States and European countries, to combat organized cybercrime. This cooperation involved issuing European arrest warrants and sharing criminal investigation expertise.
The Baden-Württemberg Police also provided behavioral guidelines and tips for fraudulent call crimes. Economic crime caused approximately one-third of the total damage of all recorded crimes, amounting to about 745 million euros. To combat this, the police continued to carry out prevention measures to educate and sensitize people about current fraud methods.
The police force conducted 41 investigations into organized crime in 2024, a slight increase from the previous year. Three investigations each were related to economic crime and property crime, while nine were attributed to cybercrime. Notably, the police dismantled twelve illegal call centers in April 2024 in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Lebanon, and Serbia.
The focus in this area was on drug crime and property crime. The number of subsidy fraud cases increased by 36% in 2024, to 341 cases, while the damage remained almost unchanged at 20 million euros. The decrease in cases of "false police officer, grandparent scam, and shock call" was around 17%, with property damage decreasing by 15%.
In a proceeding involving organized and professional fraud, a German phone number linked to 1.2 million fraudulent calls was identified. This success was achieved through the intense and relentless investigations by multiple agencies, including the Baden-Württemberg State Criminal Police Office, the Stuttgart Customs Investigation Office, the Central and Contact Point for Combating Organized Crime in North Rhine-Westphalia, and Colombian law enforcement agencies.
The phone number was part of a server structure that allowed illegal call centers in at least six countries to anonymously contact people in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, causing damages totaling several million euros. In February 2025, several objects in Germany and Greece were searched in connection with those responsible for the criminal IT infrastructure.
Thomas Strobl, Deputy Minister-President and Interior Minister, emphasized a significant breakthrough in the fight against international drug trafficking, seizing 35.5 tons of cocaine with an estimated street value of around 2.6 billion euros. The Cybercrime Center and the State Criminal Police Office prevented over 6,000 crimes and further damages of about eleven million euros through active countermeasures.
The Baden-Württemberg Police continues to educate and sensitize people about current fraud methods and works tirelessly to combat organized crime, cybercrime, and economic crimes. Economic crimes increased by around 36% in 2024 to 5,524 cases. The main perpetrators in Germany were arrested, demonstrating the effectiveness of the police force's efforts.
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