Synthetic drugs have been increasingly straining German law enforcement, with authorities reporting growing production capacity and more trafficking.
Police have seized over 1,800 kilograms of new psychoactive substances in 2024, more than three times the previous year, as ketamine and potent synthetic opioids surge.
Officials have warned that labs are cranking out tons in weeks, and smugglers have been changing routes and methods.
In other news, Germany’s economy minister says Berlin is working to resolve an urgent shortage of chips desperately needed by the auto industry.
Here are the latest headlines from Germany on Friday, October 24:
German foreign minister postpones China visit
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has postponed a planned visit to China, according to a Foreign Office spokesperson.
The spokesperson said the Chinese side had only been able to confirm a single appointment — with the Chinese foreign minister — and had not confirmed any other additional meetings.
The trip, which had been planned for the previous week, would have been the first by a member of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative-led government since it took office in May.
China’s Foreign Ministry had earlier criticized Germany’s position on Taiwan, which observers suggested may have contributed to the disruption of the visit.
Read more about the story here.
German farming minister sounds alarm over surge in bird flu cases
Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer has called for strengthened protective measures due to the rapid spread of bird flu.
“The top priority is to prevent the spread of the virus, protect animals, and avert damage to our agriculture and food industry,” said the Bavarian conservative politician in Berlin. He also referred to talks with ministers from the federal states responsible for the issue.
Rainer’s ministry has additionally submitted a request to the EU to raise the compensation limit for valuable animals that must be culled — from €50 to up to €110 ($54 to $118). As a rule, compensation payments from the animal disease fund are based on market value.
Germany’s Federal Research Institute for Animal Health has meanwhile raised its risk assessment to “high.”
“At present there are numerous outbreaks, both among wild birds and in poultry farms. This is actually not unusual for this time of year,” Rainer said. “However, in the past 14 days there has been a very rapid increase in infections. This also shows how serious the situation is and how important joint and coordinated action is.”
Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, is a viral infection that is often fatal for many bird and poultry species. Experts say it is not dangerous to humans.
Around 15,000 animals are be culled at a poultry farm in southern Germany after a bird flu outbreak was confirmed there, the state of Baden-Württemberg’s agriculture ministry said Thursday.
German economy minister visits Kyiv
Germany’s Minister of Economy and Energy, Katherina Reiche, visited Ukraine on Friday for a three-day trip aimed at strengthening Berlin’s support for Kyiv’s defenses.
Reiche, who traveled to the Ukrainian capital with a business delegation, was expected to pledge Germany’s continued backing to help Ukraine get through the upcoming winter, as Russia continues to target the country’s energy infrastructure.
“We will do everything we can to ensure Ukraine gets through this winter,” Reiche told reporters as she arrived by train in Kyiv.
For more about Russia’s war in Ukraine, check out our blog here.
WATCH: German lift maker spins Louvre heist into marketing moment
A German firm has launched a humorous advertising campaign after it turned out that one of its freight lifts was used in the Louvre jewel robbery earlier this week.
Study: Mothers in Germany lose €30,000 in income after childbirth
Mothers in Germany earn nearly €30,000 less than women without children in the four years following the birth of their first child, significantly more than previously estimated, according to a study.
Earlier estimates had put the gap at around €20,000, or roughly 30% lower. Researchers said the loss has lasting effects on women’s careers and retirement income. The €30,000 figure applies to annual salary in the fourth year after giving birth.
“The older and more experienced a mother is at the time of her first child, the smaller the income loss tends to be after several years,” said Lukas Riedel, from the Leibniz Center for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. Younger mothers, by contrast, often miss out on key periods of wage growth and are less able to catch up later in their careers.
While older mothers experience larger short-term losses in absolute terms—often because they reduce working hours after already reaching higher earnings levels—they are generally better positioned to resume their careers in the long run.
The study by ZEW and Tilburg University in the Netherlands used official German labor market data on about 186,000 mothers collected between 1975 and 2021.
Germany seeks solution to Nexperia chip supply dispute
The dispute over chipmaker Nexperia, whose supply problems have hit Germany’s auto industry, remains unresolved, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said during a visit to Kyiv.
“The situation has not yet been resolved, but we are actively working on it,” the minister said, adding that Berlin and the European Commission are in talks with the Chinese government. Reiche said the German government has appealed to China’s commerce minister to resume chip exports, stressing that the country’s car industry depends on them.
The shortage began after the Dutch government took control of Nexperia, which is owned by a Chinese parent company. In response, Beijing halted exports of Nexperia-made semiconductors, threatening production lines in Germany, with automakers exploring alternatives. The dispute stems from the broader trade tensions between China and the United States.
Reiche arrived in Ukraine on Friday with a business delegation for talks focused on energy cooperation, defense industry partnerships, and political discussions lasting through Sunday.
Synthetic drugs surge in Germany, authorities warn
Synthetic drugs such as amphetamine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy are increasingly straining German law enforcement, with authorities reporting growing production capacity and more trafficking cases.
New psychoactive substances, including ketamine and potent synthetic opioids like fentanyl and nitazene, are becoming a major concern. In 2024, police seized more than 1,800 kilograms of such substances — over three times the amount confiscated the previous year. Officials said the spike is largely driven by ketamine’s rising popularity as a party drug.
“The numbers for cocaine and synthetic drugs are rising dramatically,” said Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt. “Our investigators are encountering labs that produce tons of drugs in just a few weeks. And the smugglers are adapting:new routes, new methods, new brutality.”
Investigators raided 37 production facilities last year, including eleven large-scale laboratories.
Security agencies have also noted a sharp increase in the trade of highly potent synthetic opioids. A large-scale market has developed in Germany for nitazene opioids and other untested compounds sold online as “research chemicals.” Even tiny doses can trigger fatal respiratory failure, posing an extreme overdose risk.
The trend toward synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids is also continuing. These substances are being distributed as herbal mixes, vaping liquids, edibles, and so-called “prison paper” — sheets impregnated with synthetic cannabinoids and smuggled into correctional facilities disguised as legal correspondence.
Welcome to our coverage
Guten Tag from DW’s newsroom in Bonn and Danke Schön for joining us to find out what Germany is talking about.
As the country’s Federal Criminal Police Office releases its report on organized crime, officials are warning of growing production capacity and surging trafficking of synthetic drugs across Germany.
Authorities say seizures jumped in 2024, with more than 1,800 kilograms confiscated, over three times the previous year.
Ketamine is said to be driving much of the rise, while fentanyl, nitazenes and other potent opioids are creating a dangerous market online.
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