Raids at Rheinbach prison uncover cocaine, pistol; NRW orders bag checks for all staff

Raids across two states

At 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, about 60 police officers simultaneously searched the prison in Rheinbach and private apartments in Cologne, Euskirchen, Rheinbach, Siegburg, and the districts of Mayen-Koblenz and Neuwied in Rhineland-Palatinate. Nine search warrants were executed, targeting eight prison staff members and current and former inmates. No arrests had been made as of Tuesday evening.

What investigators found

During the searches in private residences, officers discovered 15 grams of cocaine, a small amount of amphetamine, an old pistol, ammunition, and magazines. In the prison itself, investigators primarily secured digital evidence: dozens of mobile phones, laptops, and written documents. The haul included more than a hundred items, with phones and data carriers forming the bulk of the seized material.

The smuggling scheme

The eight accused correctional officers (five men and three women) allegedly smuggled prohibited items, mainly mobile phones and drugs, into the prison in exchange for money and vouchers. North Rhine-Westphalia justice minister Benjamin Limbach said the contraband was handed to staff outside the facility by inmates' relatives or friends. The investigation covers bribery and drug trafficking charges. All eight staff members have been suspended and banned from the prison.

Minister orders bag checks statewide

Limbach, describing himself as shaken and angry, immediately mandated that all prison employees across the state undergo bag searches before entering facilities.

I am very aware that this is a hard cut.

The stricter controls are intended to protect "the impeccable reputation" of the honest majority of staff, he added, vowing not to let "the criminal behavior of a few drag it through the mud." The minister also ordered a special audit of JVA Rheinbach, modelled on measures taken after a similar scandal at the Euskirchen prison in early May. He will brief the state parliament's legal affairs committee on Wednesday.

A separate scandal, no connection

The case is the second corruption affair to hit North Rhine-Westphalia's prison system within weeks. In early May, police raided JVA Euskirchen, where several staff are accused of selling "bribery subscriptions", monthly payments for tip-offs about inspections, and where two electronic master keys went missing. Officials stressed there is no link between the two investigations. The Euskirchen facility is an open prison; Rheinbach is a closed institution where inmates are confined during the day.