Berlin – US President Donald Trump (79) has announced a merciless campaign against South American drug cartels. He alleges that Venezuela and Colombia are flooding the US and Europe with hard drugs – including cocaine, from which the cheap, horrific drug crack is produced.

On Wednesday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (45) announced two new attacks on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Pacific. Five people were reportedly killed. A total of 37 people have died in US attacks on such boats. The attacks have drawn strong criticism from Colombia.

Now the Federal Government's Drug Commissioner, Hendrik Streeck (CDU), says: The consequences could also affect Germany!

Streeck told BILD:"A tougher approach by the US government against drug cartels in Colombia and Venezuela will probably not automatically ease the situation in Europe or Germany – on the contrary: Experience shows that criminal networks react with alternative routes, new transit countries, and also new, usually even more potent 'substitutes'."

▶︎ This means: If Trump takes action against the drug cartels, the criminals could focus on Germany – and increasingly circulate their drugs here.

Streeck: “We are facing an impending drug crisis”

Streeck:"For Germany, this would mean: There could be shifts in sea and land transport, as well as in digital distribution. We already have highly dynamic structures of organized crime – especially on the internet. This could be further exacerbated by the US government's announced 'War on Drugs.'"

Streeck already points to a "tense situation": "We are facing an impending drug crisis." Cocaine, crack, and synthetic drugs are"seemingly available at all times," and cocaine prices are falling – and this increases the reach and risk."At the same time, users are getting younger," Streeck says."The 14 percent increase in drug-related deaths among people under 30 is a clear warning signal."