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Erfurt (dpa) - The police took action against a neo-Nazi network with a major raid in Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Hesse.

It was mainly about the suspicion of organized drug trafficking and money laundering, as the Thuringia State Criminal Police Office announced on Friday morning.

More than 500 police officers have been involved since the early morning, including special task forces (SEK).

There was also at least one search in Hesse.

There were arrest warrants against eight suspects with German citizenship between the ages of 24 and 55.

The police searched 27 homes and business premises.

The aim is to find evidence and to secure assets from criminal transactions, such as cars or expensive furniture.

Further searches could be added in the course of the day if new suspicions arise, said a spokesman for the LKA.

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According to a report by the broadcaster MDR, the suspects are said to be members of two neo-Nazi brotherhoods, have been part of organized crime for years and organize large parts of the drug trade in Thuringia.

In addition, arms deals are supposed to come.

The trigger for the investigation against the neo-Nazi network is said to have been a wiretapping operation by the Thuringian Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

The two neo-Nazi brotherhoods are said to be organized in a similar way to criminal rocker gangs, with a strict hierarchy and certain symbols.

They are said to have emerged from various predecessor groups and were founded in 2015.

Police officers from Thuringia, special units from Saxony-Anhalt and specialists from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Hessian LKA were involved in the raid.

There were searches in Thuringia in Gotha, the district of Gotha, Bad Langensalza and Saalfeld-Rudolstadt;

in Saxony-Anhalt in the Burgenland district and in Hesse in the Lahn-Dill district.

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The LKA did not want to name more precise locations in the morning because the operations were still ongoing.

New information should be released during the day.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210226-99-603481 / 3

Communication LKA

MDR report