Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt, flanked by BKA President Holger Münch, presented the 2024 National Situation Reports on Organised Crime and Narcotics at BKA headquarters in Wiesbaden on 24 October 2025. While drug-related offences fell by 6 %, cross-border smuggling networks expanded their activities, particularly along the Balkan and North Sea routes. Criminal groups increasingly combine human-smuggling with cocaine trafficking, the report warns.
Dobrindt announced three immediate measures: (1) extending temporary border controls with Poland, Czechia and Austria until May 2026; (2) deploying 250 additional federal police officers to Frankfurt and Hamburg airports to target ‘secondary migration’; and (3) fast-tracking a bill that would allow undercover agents to purchase encrypted messaging data without court warrants in urgent smuggling cases.
For companies operating international shuttle services or managing posted workers, the heightened security posture means more document checks, longer wait times at land borders and possible cargo inspections. Logistics firms are advised to pad schedules by 45–60 minutes on east-west road corridors. Airlines should brief crews on new federal-police powers to deny boarding to passengers with missing travel documents even on domestic feeder legs.
Compliance teams should note that the draft law includes stiffer penalties—up to five years’ imprisonment—for employers who “knowingly facilitate” irregular entry. Legal experts expect the Bundestag to attach a due-diligence safe-harbour clause for companies that have conducted good-faith visa checks.
The report also highlights the role of cryptocurrency exchanges in laundering smuggling profits. Multinationals may face broader KYC obligations when reimbursing third-country contractors paid in digital assets. Finance departments should review vendor-onboarding protocols.
Dobrindt announced three immediate measures: (1) extending temporary border controls with Poland, Czechia and Austria until May 2026; (2) deploying 250 additional federal police officers to Frankfurt and Hamburg airports to target ‘secondary migration’; and (3) fast-tracking a bill that would allow undercover agents to purchase encrypted messaging data without court warrants in urgent smuggling cases.
For companies operating international shuttle services or managing posted workers, the heightened security posture means more document checks, longer wait times at land borders and possible cargo inspections. Logistics firms are advised to pad schedules by 45–60 minutes on east-west road corridors. Airlines should brief crews on new federal-police powers to deny boarding to passengers with missing travel documents even on domestic feeder legs.
Compliance teams should note that the draft law includes stiffer penalties—up to five years’ imprisonment—for employers who “knowingly facilitate” irregular entry. Legal experts expect the Bundestag to attach a due-diligence safe-harbour clause for companies that have conducted good-faith visa checks.
The report also highlights the role of cryptocurrency exchanges in laundering smuggling profits. Multinationals may face broader KYC obligations when reimbursing third-country contractors paid in digital assets. Finance departments should review vendor-onboarding protocols.
