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A 38-year-old from Bad Hersfeld is currently on trial in Fulda because he is said to have traded kilos of drugs. At the start of the trial, the defendant asserted that he wanted to finally put an end to his criminal past.
Fulda – They called themselves “Panzerkracker”, “Iron Man”, “Osama” or “John Gotti”: According to the indictment, in order to carry out his alleged illegal business, the 38-year-old was in contact with numerous buyers and sellers via SkyCC or EncroChat. These were particularly secure communication platforms that were mainly used by criminals until they were blocked.
As in the life of the real John Gotti – a New York gangster from the notorious Al Capone's gang – the conversations with the defendant are said to have been about dealing drugs.
38-year-old in court in Fulda for large-scale drug trafficking
According to the public prosecutor's office, between April 2020 and February 2021 alone, the defendant is said to have traded a total of 29.42 kilograms of cannabis and 10.25 kilograms of narcotics, consisting of cocaine and amphetamine, on 19 occasions. The handover locations were often in Frankfurt and Bad Hersfeld, where the defendant lived until his arrest, but also in Gelnhausen and at the train station in Langenselbold Main-Kinzig district.
According to the indictment, nine other cases involved joint trafficking in narcotics. In one case, the 38-year-old is said to have even offered a Yugoslavian military pistol for sale to his chat partner named “Osama”. According to the indictment, the proceeds from all of these transactions amount to a total of more than 310,000 euros.
The defendant has been in custody since January 2024 – initially he was in custody, later he was placed in prison due to further proceedings. The 38-year-old is no stranger to the courts: 16 previous convictions were read out at the start of the trial, including convictions for joint aggravated theft, joint aggravated extortion, fraud, bodily harm, grievous bodily harm, counterfeiting, tax evasion, insults and drug trafficking.
The defendant is said to have turned over more than 300,000 euros through drug trafficking
In response to occasional questions from the presiding judge, the defendant always emphasized that it was a matter of misunderstandings: there was no fraud at all because he had not paid for a tank of gas – he had just been to the toilet for a short time. He did not counterfeit any money, but rather unknowingly had two counterfeit 50-franc notes. Nine months in custody for drug trafficking in Spain were also unjustified: he just wanted to go on vacation with his friends and was forced by the Spanish authorities to admit possession of two kilos of cannabis that did not belong to him.
Nevertheless, the defendant admitted that he had “gone down the wrong path” over the course of his life: when he was just 14 years old, he came into contact with drugs, including alcohol, cannabis, MDMA, LSD and ecstasy. However, he was never addicted. In later years he mainly and only occasionally resorted to cocaine. “I also drew one or two lines while partying,” said the 38-year-old. The defendant said he had stopped taking drugs for a long time now. “If you put something in front of me today, I wouldn’t take it – out of decency.”
After leaving school without a qualification, he temporarily worked as a self-employed building cleaner. “It went okay at the beginning, then it was slow.” The early death of his mother and later his grandmother also placed enormous psychological strain on him.
From drug dealing to apprenticeship as a butcher: Defendant wants a fresh start
The defendant did not comment on the specific allegations on the first day of the trial. Defense attorney Marc Donay, however, said his client had already confessed to his crimes in the case for which he is currently serving his sentence. “Nothing else is planned in this process.” Donay suggested an understanding. This is entirely in the interests of his client. “He wants a verdict as quickly and as mildly as possible in order to have perspective.”
The defendant himself stated that he had started an apprenticeship as a butcher while in prison. “I want to build a life for myself and be a role model for my children,” he said and asserted: “I don't want to be in prison anymore. This is a hard time. It's enough.”
After the public prosecutor's office has shown itself to be fundamentally open to an agreement, the hearing is to continue on Tuesday, April 28th, at 9 a.m.
The man from Bad Hersfeld is not the only one who currently has to answer for drug trafficking in the region: also A man from Petersberg stands before the Fulda district courtbecause he is said to have purchased and sold illegal drugs.
