German court gives 'last warning' to 82-year-old drug dealer already convicted 24 times

A German court has given an 82-year-old man a "last warning"to avoid imprisonment after he was found guilty of drug dealing for yet another time.

The court announced its verdict after discovering that the man had already been convicted 24 times for committing the very same crime.

As per the AP reports, the retired seaman was handed a suspended sentence by a court in the northern town of Aurich on Monday.

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The accused said that he wanted to improve his sparse monthly pension, which was around 800 euros ($855), by selling marijuana.

The prosecutors had asked the court to impose a jail term of a minimum of 34 months in view of the man's lengthy criminal record and an existing suspended sentence, AP cited German news agency dpa as saying.

But, according to the reports, the judges said that taking the man's recent health problems and particular circumstances into consideration, they would make an exception and classify the latest crimes as "less serious offences".

As per AP, dpa quoted the presiding judge as telling the accused that it was his “very last warning.”

Germany, Italy clamp down on notorious mafia group 'Ndrangheta'

Last month, German and Italian police arrested more than 100 members of the Italian ’Ndrangheta' organised crime syndicate as part of a "wide-scale" operation. In Germany, more than 1,000 officers searched dozens of homes, offices and stores across Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia. Operations also took place in Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta' is regarded as the world's richest organised crime group and European authorities have been waging a war against it for years. The mafia group has managed to earn revenues in excess of tens of billions of dollars by selling cocaine over the decades.

Police in Bavaria said the arrests made were the culmination of a three-year investigation effort codenamed Operation Eureka. Michael Ebling, State Interior Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate, said the arrests were an "effective blow" to organised crime.

“Today sends out a very clear signal: There is no place for organised crime in Europe and there is certainly no place for it here with us in Rhineland-Palatinate,” Ebling was quoted as saying by dpa.

Ndrangheta's genesis

The mafia group's genesis dates back to the 18th century. Unlike most modern-day mafia groups, members of 'Ndrangheta' still follow ancient rites which are passed down orally and through secret codes. To avoid the clutches oflaw enforcement agencies, the group members avoid speaking on phones entirely, opting to drive hundreds of miles for a meeting.

It consists of autonomous clans known as 'ndrine' which are based almost exclusively on blood ties. It has a monopoly on drug trafficking in Europe and also deals in arms trafficking, money laundering, racketeering, extortion, loan sharking, and prostitution.

(With inputs from agencies)

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