Investigators searched the “Pascha” brothel in Cologne. Daniel Vollmert, chief prosecutor at the Düsseldorf public prosecutor’s office, said the raid was again linked to the so-called smuggling operation. There were also suspicions of money laundering. That’s why evidence related to the purchase of real estate by “Pascha” was seized in the raid on Thursday, the Bild newspaper first reported.
Investigators are now checking the flow of funds.
It is currently being investigated whether the money or other funds related to the alleged smuggling were used to purchase real estate or to finance it. The operator of “Pascha” has not been charged. The brothel’s operations were not interrupted during the raid. Investigators only searched the office. Now they have to evaluate the boxes containing the evidence, which could take “weeks or months,” said prosecutor Volmert.
Prosecutors seized the ‘Pasha’ about a month ago, allegedly as a precautionary measure in the investigation of a suspected smuggling ring. Now, the owner can’t sell the eye-catching 11-story pink building.
The smuggler probably had a residence permit
Prosecutors have been investigating for months the suspected smuggling ring that allegedly obtained large numbers of German residence permits from wealthy Chinese and Omanis. Police raided apartments in eight federal states in April. Two lawyers from the Cologne area are suspected of being the ringleaders. There are also suspicions that officials took bribes.
