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In the case of the spectacular theft of millions from the Emmerich customs office vault, the police received “numerous leads” following a search call. They came from all over Germany, said Attorney General Günter Neifer. In some cases, this leads to new research approaches. However, it remains to be seen whether there will be a significant advantage between them.
The investigation continues at the crime scene, Neifer said. “More forensic investigations are taking place there.” For this, an expert from the State Criminal Police was also called. The perpetrators’ actions “were very professional,” Neifer said. However, it should now also be investigated whether there was a leak at customs or the police. “That was my first thought: someone must have hinted,” the attorney general said. “Now it’s proven: who exactly knew about money.”
€ 100,000 reward offered
According to previous investigations, three men had opened a customs office basement door in the early morning of Sunday, November 1, and placed a drill in the basement to reach the loot. They obviously took the money out of the vault in various “security bags.” A fourth man was standing outside Schmiere. The attackers escaped with 6.5 million euros in cash.
Witnesses heard drilling noises around 6 a.m. Then they left in the vehicle with Klever plates. Later, the fourth suspect drove a car in the same direction as the truck. A witness photographed this fourth man as he was walking up and down in front of the customs office. The photo was released by authorities on Wednesday. It shows a tall, stocky man in dark clothing and a knitted hat.
The customs administration offered an unusually high reward of 100,000 euros for the perpetrators’ tests. The “central investigation team” was set up at the Krefeld police station.
Of the 6.5 million euros, 3.7 million remained for the Public Ministry, said Neifer. The money came from so-called cash seizures, which took place this year when customs verifies cross-border vehicle traffic. Emmerich is in the immediate vicinity of the border, the prosecutor in Kleve is responsible for crimes in the border area. This could be drug money, black money, or suspiciously large sums of money for other reasons.
With such seizures, the money is kept until a court decision is made. Neifer emphasized that the funds had been confiscated as “physical evidence.” The focus is not on monetary value. Rather, it’s about determining where the evidence is coming from. Drugs or fingerprints may have been stuck to the money. The designation and type of packaging are also important.
