By Michael Behrendt and Dirk Böttger
It’s pinpricks by the authorities, but they’re having an effect and unsettling the scene: numerous violations have been registered again, tobacco confiscated, undeclared workers identified.
At 8:30 p.m., the fun and party were over: 37 police officers, six customs officers, three tax officers and three employees from the responsible public order office inspected three well-known clubs in City West on Saturday. First the authorities took care of the “Flowers” on Kurfürstendamm, the managing director is the ex-player from 1.FC Union, Karim Benyamina.
Then the “Grafitti” on Kudamm and later the “Marooush” on Knesebeckstraße were also felted.
Karim Benyamina is the manager of a “visited” club
According to the police, numerous violations of the Tobacco Tax Act, the Youth Protection Act and prohibited gambling were recorded. According to BZ information, 15 unregistered employment relationships could be proven on Knesebeckstrasse. Consequence: The club was closed, the guests had to leave.
A total of 20 kilos of duty-free shisha tobacco were seized during the so-called joint operation in City West, five of which were in a parked vehicle. The operation ended around 2 a.m.
The forces at the controls Photo: Spreepicture
As early as 4 p.m., ten customs officers and 13 police officers, with the support of four district office employees, had searched a total of seven clubs in Kreuzberg and Neukölln, including Dudenstrasse, Adalbertstrasse, Schönleinstrasse and Urbanstrasse. There, too, numerous violations of the tobacco tax, non-smoking and youth protection laws were found and are now being punished. Two slot machines were also sealed in a bar.
The operation ended around 12:30 a.m. According to an official, such joint operations would continue to be carried out regularly.