Germany's crime agency warns of more weapons, younger gangs and rising state attacks
The Federal Criminal Police Office presented a 2025 report showing organized crime in Germany becoming more professional, better armed and increasingly targeting state institutions.
At a briefing, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and BKA President Holger Münch released the 2025 organized-crime picture, noting a rise in professionalism and armament among criminal networks. The report lists 683 investigations, including 252 drug-related cases, of which cocaine dominates. Syrian-national suspects increased by 22.2 percent, and Turkish-origin groups were catalogued for the first time, involved in 18 proceedings and 139 suspects.
A new generation of gangs, called the Gen-Z Mafia, publicises violence on TikTok and Instagram, contributing to a jump in seized firearms to 688 and 34 documented shootings. The agency also highlighted a surge in “crime-as-a-service” contracts, with over one-fifth of cases involving outsourced violence, often using perpetrators as young as 13. Influence operations against the judiciary, economy and administration rose to 215 incidents, underscoring a broader threat to the rule of law.
Why it matters
The report shows a shift toward more violent, tech-savvy organized crime that directly challenges public safety and state authority.
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