Customs seize marijuana at Weil am Rhein border

At the Weil am Rhein-Ost border crossing, a patrol from the Main Customs Office Lörrach discovered substantial quantities of narcotics during a routine check. What began as a standard inspection of a vehicle with Lörrach registration plates quickly developed into a case involving arrest, court-ordered searches and several criminal proceedings. The focus is on suspected marijuana found in the car as well as further finds in an apartment – including psilocybin mushrooms and typical utensils pointing to dealing.

Border check on the evening of 17 July

On 17 July at around 6:00 p.m., officers of the Main Customs Office Lörrach stopped a vehicle occupied by three men at the Weil am Rhein-Ost border crossing. The check took place as part of regular customs duties at the German-Swiss border. A female customs officer who approached the vehicle noticed through the open window a smell she associated with marijuana. That sensory perception triggered a more intensive inspection of the vehicle interior.

Together with her control partner, the customs officers searched the interior more thoroughly. In a bag in the footwell they found dried flowers presumed to be marijuana. According to the authorities, the quantity was about 1.5 kilograms. The bag could be attributed to one of the occupants. One of the other two men, however, stated that the drugs belonged to him. Action was then taken against him on suspicion of violating import regulations: he was provisionally arrested and informed of his rights.

House searches following a judicial warrant

The investigation was not limited to the border check. With a judicial warrant, a house search followed at the home of the arrested suspect. Officers were also supported by a customs dog. That measure yielded a negative result: no further narcotics were found in the apartment of the man initially arrested.

The situation was different for the equally suspected travel companion. In his apartment, investigators seized a further 500 grams of marijuana according to the authorities. They also found 27 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, which act on the central nervous system, as well as typical dealer utensils. These finds led to proceedings being opened against the second man as well. The combination of cannabis products, psychoactive mushrooms and dealing-related utensils underlines, from the authorities’ perspective, the suspicion that this may not have been solely for private use.

What was seized

• around 1.5 kilograms of suspected marijuana in the vehicle
• 500 grams of marijuana in the apartment of a fellow traveller
• 27 grams of psilocybin mushrooms
• typical dealer utensils in the same apartment

Proceedings and next steps

After the complaints were filed, both suspects were allowed to return home. They must now answer independently in criminal proceedings. The provisional arrest at the border and the subsequent searches served to secure evidence and clarify ownership. For the courts, questions of import, possession and possible distribution will now be central.

The case shows how a smell detected during a border check can trigger a chain of measures: more intensive vehicle inspection, provisional arrest, judicial search warrants and the involvement of a detection dog. The fact that the search of the first suspect’s home was fruitless while that of the second revealed further narcotics and dealer utensils illustrates how closely vehicle finds and apartment searches are linked in such proceedings.

The Main Customs Office Lörrach regularly carries out checks at the borders with Switzerland and France in which narcotics are also discovered. The region around Weil am Rhein and Lörrach is an important hub of cross-border traffic. That is why random and incident-based checks play a central role in detecting illegal imports. In this case, not only the find in the car was relevant, but also the continuation of investigations in the private premises of those involved.

Significance for drug enforcement at the border

Marijuana and other cannabis products are among the substances that repeatedly appear in customs checks. Quantities in the kilogram range and additional finds such as psilocybin mushrooms can indicate organised or at least trade-related structures – especially when typical dealer utensils are seized at the same time. Whether and to what extent distribution was planned must be clarified in the ongoing proceedings.

For the public, the case is notable mainly because it makes the sequence from the first perception through to judicial follow-up comprehensible. The authorities emphasise that those arrested were informed of their rights and that the searches had a judicial basis. This underlines that formal steps must be observed even where there are clear grounds for suspicion. The two accused now face justice separately; this does not amount to a presumption of guilt.

Press officer Antje Bendel of the Main Customs Office Lörrach is available for enquiries. The incident was made public via the customs press service and documents the work of patrols at the Weil am Rhein-Ost border crossing. Whether further persons are involved or whether there are indications of a larger network was not apparent from the report. What is clear, however, is that customs seized narcotics in relevant quantities during the check and the subsequent house searches and brought two suspects into separate proceedings.

Overall, this is a typical but significant border seizure case: smell indication, vehicle check, arrest on suspicion of import offences, house searches with dog support and additional seizures in an apartment. The quantities – around 1.5 kilograms of marijuana in the car, 500 grams of marijuana and 27 grams of psilocybin mushrooms in the apartment – form the factual basis for further criminal assessment. The investigation and judicial evaluation of the allegations now rest with the competent authorities.