Following a raid in Lübeck, five men are in custody as part of a network allegedly exporting banned goods to Russia. Authorities accuse them of bypassing EU sanctions by using shell companies to supply dual-use items to Russian arms firms. The business expanded after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday morning, officers from the customs criminal office and the federal criminal police office searched homes and offices in Lübeck, the Herzogtum Lauenburg district, Frankfurt am Main, Nuremberg, Nordwestmecklenburg, and Ostholstein. Five men were arrested, and an investigating judge at the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe issued arrest warrants for them. The federal prosecutor's office accuses them of procuring goods via the shell company Global Trade GmbH and exporting them to Russia to circumvent EU embargo regulations. These sanctions were imposed in response to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and prohibit the sale of certain products to Russia.
According to investigations, the suspects arranged around 16,000 shipments to Russia, with a total value of at least 30 million euros. The end recipients were 24 Russian arms companies. The goods were dual-use products such as measuring technology, pumps, and sensors, which can be used for both civilian and military purposes. Correctiv research indicates the firm traded with Russia before 2022: From 2019 to 2022, it shipped 27 times goods worth over 123,000 US dollars. After the Ukraine invasion, business boomed: The balance sheet total rose from under 550,000 euros in 2021 to 3.625 million euros in 2022 and over 9.6 million euros in 2023. Profits shifted from losses to a surplus of more than 550,000 euros in 2022 and 181,000 euros in 2023.
Investigators suspect Russian state agencies behind the network. A second firm in Lübeck, possibly in Roggenhorst, is also under scrutiny; its manager is among those detained. Five other suspects remain at large. Lübeck appears to have been a key hub for this illicit trade.
