Trafficking in forged vaccination cards: police raid in Hesse and Baden-Württemberg leads to 12 suspects arrested

Police in Hesse conducted a large-scale operation against falsification of vaccination cards. Two people suspected of forgery and ten people suspected of buying fake vaccination cards were temporarily arrested on Wednesday, the Hesse State Criminal Police Office and the public prosecutor’s office in Darmstadt reported. A total of 200 police officers took part in the manhunt and searched 23 properties.

It was necessary to pay between 100 and 400 euros for a false document

According to investigators, there is a suspicion of forged documents for commercial purposes. In addition to the premises located in Hesse – including in the municipalities of Wiesbaden, Darmstadt, Offenbach, Kassel and Frankfurt am Main – investigators also searched properties in the cities of Heidelberg and Karlsruhe located in Baden-Württemberg.

Officers suspected the 36-year-old from Bickenbach of falsifying vaccination cards and selling them together with the other main suspect, a 42-year-old from Mörfelden-Walldorf. This suspicion was confirmed by further investigation. It was established that the two traded in fake vaccination cards and QR codes.

They allegedly sold at least 300 counterfeits for between 100 and 400 euros. 20 people suspected of acquiring them were identified. 15 of these people were found in the premises searched on Wednesday and temporarily arrested.

Introduction of the 2G rule fuels trade in fake vaccination certificates

The head of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, said the market for false certificates is booming during the pandemic, but police are keeping an eye on it. “Of course, we have to keep in mind that criminals react quickly to the changes taking place. Demand increases with the spread of the 2G rules, when unvaccinated people try to avoid restrictions. Then criminals try to meet that demand.” One has to look carefully at where such things are offered, he said. “As a rule, this happens on trading platforms and forums, so the police are also present there to prevent such business models from developing and to stop this kind of practice immediately.”

Source: www.welt.de

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