Clangold (2026) s01e04 Episode Script
Breaking the Silence
THE SERIES CONTAINS
SIMULATED SCENES.
TO PROTECT THEIR ANONYMITY,
THE VOICES OF SOME PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN DISTORTED.
Welcome to Punkt 12.
Dresden is in turmoil
after the biggest art heist
in Germany's post-war history
took place there this morning.
A shocking endeavor.
First, the offenders attempted
to cut the power supply
to the building.
There's an electrical panel
close by
which they set on fire
in an attempt
to disable the alarm system
that had been installed.
The building is secured
with cast-iron windows
fitted with bars to prevent
access from the outside,
and the burglars presumably
used an angle grinder
to cut a small hole,
approximately the size
of my head.
They then removed the bars
and climbed in through
the smashed window.
[light music playing]
When I heard
about the Green Vault
from my colleagues,
and which names
were under consideration,
I couldn't believe it.
[glass shattering]
They were standing trial here,
awaiting sentencing.
Surely, they couldn't
have carried out
the Green Vault break-in
in Dresden at the same time.
[dramatic music playing]
Episode 4
BROKEN SILENCE
[Katrin] We were approaching
the end of the main trial,
and after Doctor Labudde’s
expert report was dismissed,
[tense music playing]
I had no idea how things
would proceed.
KATRIN FAUS
SENIOR PROSECUTOR
ORIGINAL FOOTAGE
[Katrin] These days, our methods
are much more reliable,
more dependable.
But it became clear
that we had to focus
on the circumstantial evidence,
which fit together quite well,
but which was nevertheless
only circumstantial.
[glass shattering]
This posed a problem
for the public prosecutors,
as each piece of evidence
was insufficient on its own.
Imagine you're holding a chain
with a weight at the end.
If a weak link is removed,
the chain will still hold.
HANSGEORG BIRKHOFF
CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
But if you remove
a load-bearing link,
the chain will collapse
and the weight will fall.
[suspenseful music playing]
I took the stand and told
practically my whole story.
I was able to present all
of the evidence I had gathered.
The defense's aim
is to sow doubt
in the judge's mind in order
to get the charges dropped.
ANDRÉ BLUHM
DETECTIVE CHIEF INSPECTOR
They did that
while questioning me,
my colleagues,
and all the expert witnesses.
DR. TORALF NÖDING
CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
It's our task to question
whether they are reporting fully
and comprehensively.
That's our job.
[André] The lawyers tried
to pick apart every argument,
every piece of evidence.
[speaking German]
The overall picture
was distorted
or presented
completely inaccurately.
I could see early on
that the strategy
being employed by the defense
was to discredit me,
badmouth our work,
and as a result,
make me look bad in court.
But you can't let that
intimidate you.
INVESTIGATOR
DEPARTMENT OF ORGANIZED CRIME
There are many cases
that are dropped
and don't result
in a conviction.
At the time,
we were unable to keep up
with the growing
power structures.
We're talking millions,
in some cases hundreds
of millions of dollars.
There was an enormous power
behind this.
[energetic music playing]
[buzzing]
[Katrin] In that context,
failing to get a conviction
would've signified
a much greater failure
than a normal
court procedural loss.
[speaking foreign language]
The break-in
at the Bode Museum in March
was spectacular and,
above all, successful.
Still no trace
of the world's biggest coin.
4 MONTHS AFTER
THE START OF THE TRIAL
[André]
During the trial in Berlin,
I got word that
A. Remmo's girlfriend
wanted to give evidence
regarding his involvement
in the Bode Museum incident.
I couldn't believe it.
I remember being asked if
I could step in in short notice.
As I recall,
they needed my assistance
because there was a witness
at the standby court
who wanted to make some sort
of statement regarding the case.
[newscaster] The coin has been
missing from the Bode Museum
for over three months.
The witness was a young woman
who claimed to have been beaten
by her boyfriend,
with whom she had been living
for about half a year,
and she wanted to report it
as domestic violence.
PETRA LEISTER
SENIOR PROSECUTOR
But then, unexpectedly,
she started talking
about the heist
that took place
at the Bode Museum.
[newscaster] The police hope
[Petra] She told us,
for example,
that her boyfriend
had stored tools,
materials for disguise,
and some flashlights
at her place.
She claimed the first thing
he did every morning
when he woke up was to see
if there was any news
about the Bode Museum.
He was suddenly looking
to buy real estate,
saying he was going to be
a millionaire.
[clan member] I have nothing
to do with this particular case,
but I can speak
from my own experience.
There have been moments
in my life
when I’ve asked myself
what I want
CLAN MEMBER
who I am, whether I’m okay
with what’s going on around me.
Oftentimes,
when things happened,
it was agreed that
nobody must know about it,
it was not to be talked about
with outsiders.
It's highly unusual
for us to have an ex-girlfriend
come and testify against
someone from that milieu.
I asked her if she had an idea
of where she wanted to go,
and she became very quiet.
She was sad and confused,
and she said she had no idea,
she didn't have anyone
that she could go stay with.
[dramatic music playing]
At that point,
I took the liberty of calling
a police operations unit.
I passed her the phone
and asked her
to seek further advice
from them.
To my surprise,
she said that she'd prefer
to just go back
to her apartment,
and that was that.
We were all shocked.
[suspenseful music playing]
[investigator]
Women within these families
are often victims of violence.
They're defenseless.
And as a woman,
that's hard to witness.
Even after you uncover
what's being done
to the women in these families,
you often reach a dead end
because they're simply
not ready to come forward
and speak to the police,
cooperate,
or enter any sort
of protection programs.
They rarely do.
[clan member]
You're always on your own.
And so
if anything
were to happen to me,
I'd rather not report it.
And I think everyone
in the family feels this way.
We simply say,
"The family is there for you.
We will protect you,
all you need is us,
no one else."
[investigator] On the one hand,
women benefit greatly from it.
They can live a life of luxury,
and they're within
a stable family structure.
I think vulnerable women
view this
as something very powerful
and reliable.
But on the other hand,
there's a lot
of domestic violence
that takes place.
[clan member]
I can remember at one point
there was a case
in my extended family
the husband murdered his wife
and their children
witnessed it.
You're under so much pressure,
you know?
You don't know
when this behavior will end.
At a certain point,
you just have to make
a decision for yourself
and say, "It's time
to tell someone about this.
It's time to let go
of this burden."
[investigator] Speaking out
can get them excluded
from their family groups,
which amounts
to complete isolation.
They don't dare to do that,
and so the cycle of violence
continues behind closed doors.
ONE WEEK LATER
WITHDRAWAL OF THE TESTIMONY
"May 2nd, 2019.
Do you feel threatened
or at risk in any way?"
"No."
"We had an argument.
He'd cheated on me,
and I wanted to get back at him.
He knows I met with police
and said things
that aren't true.
And he knows I sent the police
a text message yesterday,
stating that I'd made it all up.
I sent him a screenshot
of the text.
He said, 'That was nice,
but unnecessary.'
I'm not worried about anything
happening to me."
"I've been meaning to say this.
I've been wanting to set
the record straight,
ever since Sunday."
"What about the assault,
what about the punches?
Was any of that true?"
"The two photos I showed you
were of old injuries,
they had nothing to do
with that fight."
[dramatic music playing]
[clan member]
That's just how it is.
You're born into it.
Nobody can choose their family.
I'm still in contact
with my family.
I still love them.
I don't love everything they do.
I had to distance myself.
That was the only way
I could finally
do what I wanted to do
with my life.
But my father
couldn't understand
why I wanted to go my own way.
And so, he decided to disown me.
He told me
"If you go ahead with this,
you're not entitled
to anything anymore."
Then, once my father was gone,
my brother got caught.
That's when everything
changed for me.
And I'd wish that for anyone,
the ability to break free.
I only fear God.
But I can certainly
still acknowledge that
Well, when all of this
is eventually released,
there are certain
very dangerous people
that I'm sure
will feel deeply attacked
by the fact that a woman,
especially one
from their community,
is sitting here talking
about them all like this.
[Hansgeorg] Of course,
there are instances
where people feel intimidated.
No sense in denying that.
We don't know
how this case will go.
Using a sweeping argument,
such as,
“This is typical
of mafia-like structures
or organized crime,”
won't get you anywhere
in a specific case
such as this.
It may be true,
but no empirical judgment
can be derived from that.
As participants
in the proceedings
KAI KEMPGENS
CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
we're unable to determine
whether the initial statement
was driven by emotion,
which was certainly justified
or whether the second statement
was straying from the truth.
And if you can't get
to the bottom of that,
then you don't know what's real.
[Katrin] It was unclear
what the court would do
with the withdrawn testimony,
how they would assess
that situation.
If things went really badly,
it wouldn't be taken
into account at all.
[ambient music playing]
It was incredibly
important for me
to focus on the pieces
of evidence we had accumulated
that were definitive, clear-cut.
And we had found a lot
of tools, gloves,
and even cars
with traces of gold in them.
The question was,
is this gold even from the coin?
In other words,
does gold have its own
DNA?
[birds chirping]
We couldn't examine
the gold fragments in Berlin.
The forensic science unit
simply wasn't capable of that.
So we contacted Doctor Pernicka.
Mister Bluhm wanted to know
if the fragments of gold
could be clearly linked
to the stolen coin
using forensics.
PROF. DR. ERNST PERNICKA
GOLD ANALYS
So I requested the composition
of the stolen gold coin.
Because this
is no ordinary coin,
it's high-purity,
meaning 99.99% gold.
Our task then was to analyze
the recovered fragments
the investigators
had discovered,
in order to see
whether we could uncover
any trace elements
that were a match
with the composition
of the stolen coin.
The first step
is to look at the particles
under a microscope.
And that's when I realized
that these particles
had been produced through
a very high-energy process.
And that points to the use
of an angle grinder.
That grinding process
produces tiny specks of gold,
thrown into the air.
These are hot particles
that glow,
but then rapidly cool off
as the sparks fly.
Once they sink into the fabric
of your clothes, shoes,
or gloves,
they become imperceptible.
We got right to work
preparing our report
to submit to the investigators.
The first thing we had to do
was vaporize the gold specks
with a laser and analyze
the sample that resulted.
[dramatic music playing]
Mister Pernicka assured us
he'd be able to analyze the gold
in such a way
that it could be matched
with absolute certainty.
He said there is, in fact,
such a thing as gold DNA.
But one particular piece
of diagnostic equipment
was broken
and took a long time to repair.
And so we weren't making
any progress.
[music continues]
We looked everywhere
for the coin,
but we couldn't find it.
SHARO
EX-CRIMINAL AND INFLUENCER
They say it was melted down.
The Mardellis view gold
as an investment.
The goal is to acquire
as much gold as possible.
It starts early, in fact,
you're given some at birth.
It's the main topic
of conversation,
particularly around weddings.
[Ernst]
Gold is frequently associated
with notions of purity,
indestructibility, and eternity.
On the other hand,
there's also the idea
of cursed gold,
of gold as the source of evil.
Just think of the various
gold rushes for example.
Gold is cursed in the sense
that it brings about greed,
a lust for wealth.
[music intensifies]
Gold chains, the latest Audi,
maybe even a Mercedes,
then they're like,
"Oh, wait, no,
BMWs are cooler"
I think they mess up by making
such a public display of it.
They show off their cool cars,
their jewelry,
their designer clothes,
whatever else they spend
their money on.
If you have several houses
here in Germany,
all these luxury goods,
but some of your family's
still living off
government assistance,
it's no surprise
that it gets seized.
In the summer of 2017,
there was a legal change
regarding the seizure of assets,
which meant that
these purchases on display
could disappear very quickly.
The almost cinematic theft
of the enormous,
100 kilo coin
from the Berlin Bode Museum
caused quite the stir last year.
Four suspects
have been identified
by investigators of the case.
They are said to be members
of an Arab clan,
which is accused
not only of the coin theft
but of numerous
other criminal offenses.
The public prosecutor's office
has executed a major seizure
of properties belonging
to the extended family,
which are believed to have been
purchased with proceeds
from the numerous thefts.
But of course these people
weren't completely stupid.
These properties
weren't in the names
of people who had already
been convicted,
we knew that.
To our surprise, we overheard
people saying things like,
"I'm meeting a notary
or an estate agent soon,"
"I'm going to view
this property,"
"I'm attending
a foreclosure auction soon."
The fact is,
this property buying points
to illegal activity,
because we know these people
had basically never worked
and therefore could never
have earned enough money
to make any of these purchases.
When you analyze
numerous accounts
and consult several
land registers,
you come across new people,
new accounts,
new land registers.
[Katrin] Mister Remmo explained
he was trying to secure
the plot of land on behalf
of an acquaintance,
a woman he introduced
as Miss K.
This is a good example
of the way that funds
are laundered,
and property is purchased
through a front person.
[ambient music playing]
My mother was a housewife.
She never had the opportunity
to pursue other careers.
She was denied that chance.
Her name was used
as a front of sorts.
As a way to arrange businesses
and such.
She was the registered owner,
even though she had no say
in the matter whatsoever.
She's still very much
caught in that system.
There were many members
of this extended family
that committed
sensational criminal offenses.
"Sensational" in the sense
that sums running into millions
had been procured,
money that quickly disappeared.
Our job was to try
and get ahold of it.
You have money, you have power.
No money, no power.
You're vulnerable.
If you have money and power,
it doesn't matter
where it comes from,
nobody points a finger at you.
They salute you.
AHMAD MOHAMMED
BODYGUARD
[Katrin] I firmly believe that
this will only come to an end
when it's no longer worth it.
In the past,
the state had to prove
that the money came from
proceeds of criminal activity.
Today,
it's the other way around.
The criminals are the ones
who have to prove
that they've obtained
the money legally.
[Hansgeorg] Today, there are
significantly more regulations.
You can't simply tell
the public prosecutor's office,
"Yeah, the car
belongs to my cousin.
She doesn't have
a driver's license, though,
she's only eleven."
So inevitably,
these assets tend to disappear
just as quickly
as they were acquired.
[newscaster]
Everyone's talking about
clan crime all of a sudden.
But we are well aware
it's not a new phenomenon.
Have we turned a blind eye
for too long?
Of course.
We should ask why the state's
stood by for so long,
when it should've been fighting
underground organizations.
[dramatic music playing]
In my experience,
it's impossible to eliminate
clan family structures
using policing methods alone.
HEAD OF OPERATIONS
SWAT BERLIN
Organized crime is something
that has always existed.
In our city, in the whole world.
But the power structure shifts.
The next generation
is already here,
and they're different.
They don't care about family
hierarchies as much,
and they're more violent.
Meanwhile, new parties
want a slice of the cake
for themselves.
You've got Arabs
who are serious players.
MOHAMED CHAHROUR
ACTOR & AUTHOR "CLANLAND"
You've got Kurds,
you've got Albanians,
and you've got Germans.
[Sharo]
There's the Mocros from Holland.
But there's still no getting
around the Mardellis.
No way.
You just gotta accept it.
Either you pay up,
or more blood will be shed.
[Katrin] We do have evidence
suggesting that teenagers
are specifically used to commit
these types of crimes,
precisely because they face
less severe penalties
than adults.
[suspenseful music playing]
[mayor]
There's a zero-tolerance policy
and a "Thousand Papercut"
strategy,
where we penalize all forms
of administrative offenses,
ranging from undeclared tobacco
to outstanding arrest warrants.
[Ahmad] There are children
from these families
who are on the right track,
but unfortunately are excluded
from any opportunities
because of their last name.
But we should leave them
all alone,
and not hold them responsible.
They aren't criminals.
I used to be one of them.
The police used to always say
to me, "You're one of them".
And that was one of the reasons
why my house
was searched so often.
So at some point,
I knew I had to break away
from my family,
and that's when I was able
to pave my own way.
They didn't hurt me, no way.
I still stand by them.
I still love them.
I love the Remmo family, too.
And I don't think there's
anything wrong with that.
You know, we've been
through a lot together,
we've had a lot of good times.
Yeah, I know.
That's what I told them.
It gives me
a bad reputation, though,
because if I'm seen
anywhere with them
or other family members,
my employer threatens
to fire me.
Which is ridiculous.
And then of course,
there are those
who fall out of line,
but they're not representative
of the rest of us
RTL STERN TV FROM 27.11.2022
[Dieter] But is that
because you can't control them?
What, so am I responsible
for everyone?
-[Dieter] No, no, of course not.
-Are you?
I mean, there's no such thing
as "family culpability"
in Germany.
[Katrin] It's certainly
the case that people who carry
a prominent clan
family's surname
have a very,
very hard time in life.
[singer singing
in foreign language]
[Mohamed]
If you have to name it,
call it
the German-Lebanese Mafia.
And only include
the actual criminals.
Or German-Arab Mafia,
whatever, fine.
Treat the real criminals
like criminals,
but don't blame the rest of us.
I'm not their lawyer.
I won't defend those
who steal other people's stuff.
I won't do that.
It goes against my culture-
the culture I've come to know
in Germany and in Lebanon.
Both of those cultures agree
that is unacceptable.
TESTIMONY
PROF. DR. PERNICKA
[dramatic music playing]
[Ernst]
I've actually wondered
whether the defense lawyers
even know
who they're representing
and what they're advocating for.
To me, the defendants
seemed a little too confident.
That confidence was, of course,
instilled in them
by their lawyers,
who had assured them
beforehand that,
"Gold is gold,
and it can't be identified."
Naturally, it was important
to convince the court.
We were able to demonstrate
that not only the gold
but also many other elements
are within the specified
concentration range
of the stolen coin.
And that serves as clear proof
that these gold particles
indeed came from that coin.
With the support
of the Canadian Mint,
which produced this coin,
Mister Pernicka
actually succeeded
in providing this evidence.
Of course, it was a tough spot
for the defense lawyers
to get out of.
[Ernst]
The lawyers tried to spin
a false narrative to the court.
So, according to a study
by the Federal
Environment Agency
One lawyer claimed that gold
is even present in the air,
and so it wouldn't be possible
to prove anything.
Certain metallic particles
can be detected
virtually everywhere
in the air we breathe.
[Ernst]
He was referring to studies
showing that vaporized platinum
originating
from catalytic converters
can be found in the air
along highways.
But I've never heard
of a gold catalytic converter.
And there's no glittering
gold dust in the air.
That is nonsense.
So I asked him to show me
where this "gold air" is,
because I'll go there
with a bedsheet
and catch some gold.
If that were the case, I'll just
run around harvesting gold.
I'll be rich, man!
The court laughed at that.
But I was annoyed, and I said,
"Okay, I know that
you're hearing what he's saying,
but I don't think you've really
thought it all through."
[dramatic music playing]
[Ernst] Personally,
I felt like I'd won.
[laughs]
He distinguished between
particles caused by abrasion
and those that have been
produced by,
for example, sawing,
or chipping.
And we asked ourselves
whether evidence
of a person's potential presence
at the time of the disposal
has any probative value
in relation to the offense.
Because clearly,
if the gold flecks
found in the shoes
came from the coin,
then it wouldn't
have been possible
for them to have gotten there
while the crime
was being committed.
[Katrin] That is exactly
what the defense does
in cases like this.
They take every single piece
of evidence
and say, "Well, there could be
another reason for that."
And that's true, of course.
A single piece of evidence
on its own is insufficient.
But when the evidence is viewed
within a broader context,
it can't be any other way.
The court needs to be convinced
to the point
where all reasonable doubt
is dispelled.
And to me,
that was the case with this.
We messed around, for sure,
but we also served our time.
And prison itself
is glorified to the max.
In the end, was it all worth it?
Was it worth sacrificing
our futures
-for a benefit in the moment?
-No, no
it wasn't.
So, jail deters you, in a way.
But when you're alone,
left to fend for yourself,
with no prospects
for the future,
you quickly end up
going down the wrong path.
That's why my first prison
sentence didn't change me.
When I got out, I didn't have
any responsibilities.
I wanted to go after
a certain police officer
as soon as I got released
from prison.
I was prepared to do anything
to get his address,
to give him
a taste of his own medicine.
I wanted to burn down his house,
pour acid on him,
find out if his children
were old enough
for me to beat them up.
Things like that.
I didn't think
about the consequences
because I wasn't
gonna do it myself,
I'd send someone.
[dramatic music playing]
[Sharo]
Thank God I changed my mind.
Well, I had a daughter,
and that made me
rethink my whole life.
But if that hadn't happened
it would've ended badly for me,
and the police officer too.
I even decided to start therapy.
Yeah, me, the cool guy,
the tough guy, the gangster.
That decision to start therapy
really made a difference for me
during my second prison term.
I sat myself down
and worked intensively
with different social workers
and therapists.
It just hurt, you know?
All those conversations,
being open about
what had gone wrong in my life,
between my family,
my parents, and me.
It triggered something in me,
but the work I was able to do
in there really paid off.
My family, thank God,
is very well integrated
in this country.
They've all managed to build
successful careers here.
And I can recognize
the damage I've done.
This criminal energy
has caused a lot of damage.
And ultimately,
I'm to blame for it.
We need to be the ones
to address it.
It doesn't do any good
to just cover things up.
If you want
to change something
you have to let your guard down.
I really laid my soul
bare in there.
Right now, today,
there are still some scars.
And that's the price
of criminality.
When you realize
that this scene is pointless,
that this whole world
we live in,
everything is fleeting.
None of what you get
is worth the consequences.
Fancy cars,
expensive watches, none of it.
Life is too short.
So it's just not worth it.
RENDITION OF JUDGMEN
35 MONTHS AFTER THE THEF
[dramatic music playing]
The verdict in Berlin's
Bode Museum gold theft trial
is due to be given
early this morning.
The public prosecutor's office
is seeking a relatively severe
sentence for the defendants.
[Rasmi] "Anyone who steals
cultural property
of considerable value
from a public exhibition space,
or a state-protected
institution,
shall be liable
to a custodial sentence
of between two and 12 years.
The offense is deemed
especially serious if,
the offender breaks
into the premises
or gains access
without authorization."
"If the cultural asset
has a market value
of over one million euros,
if several parties work together
in a coordinated manner"
"or if safety devices
are bypassed
or tampered with"
That wasn't the case.
The window wasn't secured.
[suspenseful music playing]
[newscaster] A crowd gathered
to hear the verdict
in one of the most
spectacular trials
involving circumstantial
evidence in years.
I sat there,
trembling, wondering,
"Are we going
to walk out of here
with a guilty verdict or not?"
[Dr. Toralf] Well, our client
was hoping for an acquittal.
And for a while,
we were pretty confident
about it,
but that confidence had waned.
So we were nervous.
The judge entered,
followed by the presiding judge,
assessors and jurors.
In the name of the people,
the following verdict
is pronounced.
[André] I was hanging
on every single word
that was being said.
"The defendants Denis W.,
W. Remmo, and A. Remmo
are all found guilty of theft."
The defendant Denis W.
was given a juvenile sentence
of three years and four months,
and the defendants
W. Remmo and A. Remmo
were given juvenile sentences
of four years and six months.
Everything inside me
just released.
"Yes, we did it."
[dramatic music playing]
Only the 25-year-old
defendant W.
was acquitted
due to lack of evidence.
[Katrin]
Four people were charged,
and three were convicted.
In my opinion,
the penalty was too low
given the level of
professionalism
in carrying out the crime.
However, Juvenile Court Services
recommended the application
of juvenile criminal law
in all cases.
In short, this means
that the objective there
was re-education
rather than punishment.
And that's what
I find problematic.
I believe that all
of the defendants in this case
navigate the world
with a level of such brazenness
that has nothing to do
with the fact
that they're still young people,
but rather reflects
that they have fully embraced
this professional identity
of crime as a way of life.
In any case, time will tell,
or rather, it already has.
9 MONTHS AFTER THE JUDGMEN
[suspenseful music playing]
[female newscaster] Three men
are being brought in today
to the correctional
facility in Dresden.
All of the suspects
are members of the notorious
Remmo clan of Berlin.
[male newscaster]
On November 25th, 2019,
the alleged thieves
broke into the Green Vault
in Dresden.
The pieces were valued at over
114 million euros.
This theft is clearly an attack
on the cultural identity
of all Saxons.
[Katrin]
We were sitting in a trial
where the defendants faced
several years of imprisonment.
Their sentence was suspended.
And at least one of them
took advantage of that
by taking a trip
to the Green Vault in Dresden.
If they ever have children,
they'll probably raise them
the exact same way.
They'll probably
tell their kids,
"We have to screw over
the government."
"We have to make sure
we look out for ourselves,
and line our own pockets."
When you're raised that way,
it messes with your head.
[dramatic music playing]
The generation before us
had entirely different problems.
We're at a point
where we have to show them,
"You can do it.
You can do better
than your parents,
and your children
can do better than you."
As far as I'm concerned,
family should help one another.
Love should be a powerful force.
It should build a home.
That's what family means to me.
My friends are also my family,
among other things.
And
my mother is my family.
[Katrin] I know that the Berlin
Public Prosecutor's Office
is currently taking steps
to tackle the issue in schools,
with a particular focus
on engagement with the mothers.
The power and strength
of the women in the family,
whom nobody ever talks about,
should probably
not be underestimated.
[ambient music playing]
Our efforts haven't eliminated
the threat posed by the clans,
but they've raised awareness
and fostered
greater understanding
amongst law enforcement.
People are paying attention,
and they won't put up
with these types
of crimes anymore,
especially after
the Green Vault heist.
[Katrin] I don't feel
any sense of resignation,
quite the opposite, in fact.
more than ever,
I'm convinced that I have
to keep fighting and working
to ensure
that something like this
doesn't happen again.
[credits music playing]
SIMULATED SCENES.
TO PROTECT THEIR ANONYMITY,
THE VOICES OF SOME PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN DISTORTED.
Welcome to Punkt 12.
Dresden is in turmoil
after the biggest art heist
in Germany's post-war history
took place there this morning.
A shocking endeavor.
First, the offenders attempted
to cut the power supply
to the building.
There's an electrical panel
close by
which they set on fire
in an attempt
to disable the alarm system
that had been installed.
The building is secured
with cast-iron windows
fitted with bars to prevent
access from the outside,
and the burglars presumably
used an angle grinder
to cut a small hole,
approximately the size
of my head.
They then removed the bars
and climbed in through
the smashed window.
[light music playing]
When I heard
about the Green Vault
from my colleagues,
and which names
were under consideration,
I couldn't believe it.
[glass shattering]
They were standing trial here,
awaiting sentencing.
Surely, they couldn't
have carried out
the Green Vault break-in
in Dresden at the same time.
[dramatic music playing]
Episode 4
BROKEN SILENCE
[Katrin] We were approaching
the end of the main trial,
and after Doctor Labudde’s
expert report was dismissed,
[tense music playing]
I had no idea how things
would proceed.
KATRIN FAUS
SENIOR PROSECUTOR
ORIGINAL FOOTAGE
[Katrin] These days, our methods
are much more reliable,
more dependable.
But it became clear
that we had to focus
on the circumstantial evidence,
which fit together quite well,
but which was nevertheless
only circumstantial.
[glass shattering]
This posed a problem
for the public prosecutors,
as each piece of evidence
was insufficient on its own.
Imagine you're holding a chain
with a weight at the end.
If a weak link is removed,
the chain will still hold.
HANSGEORG BIRKHOFF
CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
But if you remove
a load-bearing link,
the chain will collapse
and the weight will fall.
[suspenseful music playing]
I took the stand and told
practically my whole story.
I was able to present all
of the evidence I had gathered.
The defense's aim
is to sow doubt
in the judge's mind in order
to get the charges dropped.
ANDRÉ BLUHM
DETECTIVE CHIEF INSPECTOR
They did that
while questioning me,
my colleagues,
and all the expert witnesses.
DR. TORALF NÖDING
CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
It's our task to question
whether they are reporting fully
and comprehensively.
That's our job.
[André] The lawyers tried
to pick apart every argument,
every piece of evidence.
[speaking German]
The overall picture
was distorted
or presented
completely inaccurately.
I could see early on
that the strategy
being employed by the defense
was to discredit me,
badmouth our work,
and as a result,
make me look bad in court.
But you can't let that
intimidate you.
INVESTIGATOR
DEPARTMENT OF ORGANIZED CRIME
There are many cases
that are dropped
and don't result
in a conviction.
At the time,
we were unable to keep up
with the growing
power structures.
We're talking millions,
in some cases hundreds
of millions of dollars.
There was an enormous power
behind this.
[energetic music playing]
[buzzing]
[Katrin] In that context,
failing to get a conviction
would've signified
a much greater failure
than a normal
court procedural loss.
[speaking foreign language]
The break-in
at the Bode Museum in March
was spectacular and,
above all, successful.
Still no trace
of the world's biggest coin.
4 MONTHS AFTER
THE START OF THE TRIAL
[André]
During the trial in Berlin,
I got word that
A. Remmo's girlfriend
wanted to give evidence
regarding his involvement
in the Bode Museum incident.
I couldn't believe it.
I remember being asked if
I could step in in short notice.
As I recall,
they needed my assistance
because there was a witness
at the standby court
who wanted to make some sort
of statement regarding the case.
[newscaster] The coin has been
missing from the Bode Museum
for over three months.
The witness was a young woman
who claimed to have been beaten
by her boyfriend,
with whom she had been living
for about half a year,
and she wanted to report it
as domestic violence.
PETRA LEISTER
SENIOR PROSECUTOR
But then, unexpectedly,
she started talking
about the heist
that took place
at the Bode Museum.
[newscaster] The police hope
[Petra] She told us,
for example,
that her boyfriend
had stored tools,
materials for disguise,
and some flashlights
at her place.
She claimed the first thing
he did every morning
when he woke up was to see
if there was any news
about the Bode Museum.
He was suddenly looking
to buy real estate,
saying he was going to be
a millionaire.
[clan member] I have nothing
to do with this particular case,
but I can speak
from my own experience.
There have been moments
in my life
when I’ve asked myself
what I want
CLAN MEMBER
who I am, whether I’m okay
with what’s going on around me.
Oftentimes,
when things happened,
it was agreed that
nobody must know about it,
it was not to be talked about
with outsiders.
It's highly unusual
for us to have an ex-girlfriend
come and testify against
someone from that milieu.
I asked her if she had an idea
of where she wanted to go,
and she became very quiet.
She was sad and confused,
and she said she had no idea,
she didn't have anyone
that she could go stay with.
[dramatic music playing]
At that point,
I took the liberty of calling
a police operations unit.
I passed her the phone
and asked her
to seek further advice
from them.
To my surprise,
she said that she'd prefer
to just go back
to her apartment,
and that was that.
We were all shocked.
[suspenseful music playing]
[investigator]
Women within these families
are often victims of violence.
They're defenseless.
And as a woman,
that's hard to witness.
Even after you uncover
what's being done
to the women in these families,
you often reach a dead end
because they're simply
not ready to come forward
and speak to the police,
cooperate,
or enter any sort
of protection programs.
They rarely do.
[clan member]
You're always on your own.
And so
if anything
were to happen to me,
I'd rather not report it.
And I think everyone
in the family feels this way.
We simply say,
"The family is there for you.
We will protect you,
all you need is us,
no one else."
[investigator] On the one hand,
women benefit greatly from it.
They can live a life of luxury,
and they're within
a stable family structure.
I think vulnerable women
view this
as something very powerful
and reliable.
But on the other hand,
there's a lot
of domestic violence
that takes place.
[clan member]
I can remember at one point
there was a case
in my extended family
the husband murdered his wife
and their children
witnessed it.
You're under so much pressure,
you know?
You don't know
when this behavior will end.
At a certain point,
you just have to make
a decision for yourself
and say, "It's time
to tell someone about this.
It's time to let go
of this burden."
[investigator] Speaking out
can get them excluded
from their family groups,
which amounts
to complete isolation.
They don't dare to do that,
and so the cycle of violence
continues behind closed doors.
ONE WEEK LATER
WITHDRAWAL OF THE TESTIMONY
"May 2nd, 2019.
Do you feel threatened
or at risk in any way?"
"No."
"We had an argument.
He'd cheated on me,
and I wanted to get back at him.
He knows I met with police
and said things
that aren't true.
And he knows I sent the police
a text message yesterday,
stating that I'd made it all up.
I sent him a screenshot
of the text.
He said, 'That was nice,
but unnecessary.'
I'm not worried about anything
happening to me."
"I've been meaning to say this.
I've been wanting to set
the record straight,
ever since Sunday."
"What about the assault,
what about the punches?
Was any of that true?"
"The two photos I showed you
were of old injuries,
they had nothing to do
with that fight."
[dramatic music playing]
[clan member]
That's just how it is.
You're born into it.
Nobody can choose their family.
I'm still in contact
with my family.
I still love them.
I don't love everything they do.
I had to distance myself.
That was the only way
I could finally
do what I wanted to do
with my life.
But my father
couldn't understand
why I wanted to go my own way.
And so, he decided to disown me.
He told me
"If you go ahead with this,
you're not entitled
to anything anymore."
Then, once my father was gone,
my brother got caught.
That's when everything
changed for me.
And I'd wish that for anyone,
the ability to break free.
I only fear God.
But I can certainly
still acknowledge that
Well, when all of this
is eventually released,
there are certain
very dangerous people
that I'm sure
will feel deeply attacked
by the fact that a woman,
especially one
from their community,
is sitting here talking
about them all like this.
[Hansgeorg] Of course,
there are instances
where people feel intimidated.
No sense in denying that.
We don't know
how this case will go.
Using a sweeping argument,
such as,
“This is typical
of mafia-like structures
or organized crime,”
won't get you anywhere
in a specific case
such as this.
It may be true,
but no empirical judgment
can be derived from that.
As participants
in the proceedings
KAI KEMPGENS
CRIMINAL DEFENSE LAWYER
we're unable to determine
whether the initial statement
was driven by emotion,
which was certainly justified
or whether the second statement
was straying from the truth.
And if you can't get
to the bottom of that,
then you don't know what's real.
[Katrin] It was unclear
what the court would do
with the withdrawn testimony,
how they would assess
that situation.
If things went really badly,
it wouldn't be taken
into account at all.
[ambient music playing]
It was incredibly
important for me
to focus on the pieces
of evidence we had accumulated
that were definitive, clear-cut.
And we had found a lot
of tools, gloves,
and even cars
with traces of gold in them.
The question was,
is this gold even from the coin?
In other words,
does gold have its own
DNA?
[birds chirping]
We couldn't examine
the gold fragments in Berlin.
The forensic science unit
simply wasn't capable of that.
So we contacted Doctor Pernicka.
Mister Bluhm wanted to know
if the fragments of gold
could be clearly linked
to the stolen coin
using forensics.
PROF. DR. ERNST PERNICKA
GOLD ANALYS
So I requested the composition
of the stolen gold coin.
Because this
is no ordinary coin,
it's high-purity,
meaning 99.99% gold.
Our task then was to analyze
the recovered fragments
the investigators
had discovered,
in order to see
whether we could uncover
any trace elements
that were a match
with the composition
of the stolen coin.
The first step
is to look at the particles
under a microscope.
And that's when I realized
that these particles
had been produced through
a very high-energy process.
And that points to the use
of an angle grinder.
That grinding process
produces tiny specks of gold,
thrown into the air.
These are hot particles
that glow,
but then rapidly cool off
as the sparks fly.
Once they sink into the fabric
of your clothes, shoes,
or gloves,
they become imperceptible.
We got right to work
preparing our report
to submit to the investigators.
The first thing we had to do
was vaporize the gold specks
with a laser and analyze
the sample that resulted.
[dramatic music playing]
Mister Pernicka assured us
he'd be able to analyze the gold
in such a way
that it could be matched
with absolute certainty.
He said there is, in fact,
such a thing as gold DNA.
But one particular piece
of diagnostic equipment
was broken
and took a long time to repair.
And so we weren't making
any progress.
[music continues]
We looked everywhere
for the coin,
but we couldn't find it.
SHARO
EX-CRIMINAL AND INFLUENCER
They say it was melted down.
The Mardellis view gold
as an investment.
The goal is to acquire
as much gold as possible.
It starts early, in fact,
you're given some at birth.
It's the main topic
of conversation,
particularly around weddings.
[Ernst]
Gold is frequently associated
with notions of purity,
indestructibility, and eternity.
On the other hand,
there's also the idea
of cursed gold,
of gold as the source of evil.
Just think of the various
gold rushes for example.
Gold is cursed in the sense
that it brings about greed,
a lust for wealth.
[music intensifies]
Gold chains, the latest Audi,
maybe even a Mercedes,
then they're like,
"Oh, wait, no,
BMWs are cooler"
I think they mess up by making
such a public display of it.
They show off their cool cars,
their jewelry,
their designer clothes,
whatever else they spend
their money on.
If you have several houses
here in Germany,
all these luxury goods,
but some of your family's
still living off
government assistance,
it's no surprise
that it gets seized.
In the summer of 2017,
there was a legal change
regarding the seizure of assets,
which meant that
these purchases on display
could disappear very quickly.
The almost cinematic theft
of the enormous,
100 kilo coin
from the Berlin Bode Museum
caused quite the stir last year.
Four suspects
have been identified
by investigators of the case.
They are said to be members
of an Arab clan,
which is accused
not only of the coin theft
but of numerous
other criminal offenses.
The public prosecutor's office
has executed a major seizure
of properties belonging
to the extended family,
which are believed to have been
purchased with proceeds
from the numerous thefts.
But of course these people
weren't completely stupid.
These properties
weren't in the names
of people who had already
been convicted,
we knew that.
To our surprise, we overheard
people saying things like,
"I'm meeting a notary
or an estate agent soon,"
"I'm going to view
this property,"
"I'm attending
a foreclosure auction soon."
The fact is,
this property buying points
to illegal activity,
because we know these people
had basically never worked
and therefore could never
have earned enough money
to make any of these purchases.
When you analyze
numerous accounts
and consult several
land registers,
you come across new people,
new accounts,
new land registers.
[Katrin] Mister Remmo explained
he was trying to secure
the plot of land on behalf
of an acquaintance,
a woman he introduced
as Miss K.
This is a good example
of the way that funds
are laundered,
and property is purchased
through a front person.
[ambient music playing]
My mother was a housewife.
She never had the opportunity
to pursue other careers.
She was denied that chance.
Her name was used
as a front of sorts.
As a way to arrange businesses
and such.
She was the registered owner,
even though she had no say
in the matter whatsoever.
She's still very much
caught in that system.
There were many members
of this extended family
that committed
sensational criminal offenses.
"Sensational" in the sense
that sums running into millions
had been procured,
money that quickly disappeared.
Our job was to try
and get ahold of it.
You have money, you have power.
No money, no power.
You're vulnerable.
If you have money and power,
it doesn't matter
where it comes from,
nobody points a finger at you.
They salute you.
AHMAD MOHAMMED
BODYGUARD
[Katrin] I firmly believe that
this will only come to an end
when it's no longer worth it.
In the past,
the state had to prove
that the money came from
proceeds of criminal activity.
Today,
it's the other way around.
The criminals are the ones
who have to prove
that they've obtained
the money legally.
[Hansgeorg] Today, there are
significantly more regulations.
You can't simply tell
the public prosecutor's office,
"Yeah, the car
belongs to my cousin.
She doesn't have
a driver's license, though,
she's only eleven."
So inevitably,
these assets tend to disappear
just as quickly
as they were acquired.
[newscaster]
Everyone's talking about
clan crime all of a sudden.
But we are well aware
it's not a new phenomenon.
Have we turned a blind eye
for too long?
Of course.
We should ask why the state's
stood by for so long,
when it should've been fighting
underground organizations.
[dramatic music playing]
In my experience,
it's impossible to eliminate
clan family structures
using policing methods alone.
HEAD OF OPERATIONS
SWAT BERLIN
Organized crime is something
that has always existed.
In our city, in the whole world.
But the power structure shifts.
The next generation
is already here,
and they're different.
They don't care about family
hierarchies as much,
and they're more violent.
Meanwhile, new parties
want a slice of the cake
for themselves.
You've got Arabs
who are serious players.
MOHAMED CHAHROUR
ACTOR & AUTHOR "CLANLAND"
You've got Kurds,
you've got Albanians,
and you've got Germans.
[Sharo]
There's the Mocros from Holland.
But there's still no getting
around the Mardellis.
No way.
You just gotta accept it.
Either you pay up,
or more blood will be shed.
[Katrin] We do have evidence
suggesting that teenagers
are specifically used to commit
these types of crimes,
precisely because they face
less severe penalties
than adults.
[suspenseful music playing]
[mayor]
There's a zero-tolerance policy
and a "Thousand Papercut"
strategy,
where we penalize all forms
of administrative offenses,
ranging from undeclared tobacco
to outstanding arrest warrants.
[Ahmad] There are children
from these families
who are on the right track,
but unfortunately are excluded
from any opportunities
because of their last name.
But we should leave them
all alone,
and not hold them responsible.
They aren't criminals.
I used to be one of them.
The police used to always say
to me, "You're one of them".
And that was one of the reasons
why my house
was searched so often.
So at some point,
I knew I had to break away
from my family,
and that's when I was able
to pave my own way.
They didn't hurt me, no way.
I still stand by them.
I still love them.
I love the Remmo family, too.
And I don't think there's
anything wrong with that.
You know, we've been
through a lot together,
we've had a lot of good times.
Yeah, I know.
That's what I told them.
It gives me
a bad reputation, though,
because if I'm seen
anywhere with them
or other family members,
my employer threatens
to fire me.
Which is ridiculous.
And then of course,
there are those
who fall out of line,
but they're not representative
of the rest of us
RTL STERN TV FROM 27.11.2022
[Dieter] But is that
because you can't control them?
What, so am I responsible
for everyone?
-[Dieter] No, no, of course not.
-Are you?
I mean, there's no such thing
as "family culpability"
in Germany.
[Katrin] It's certainly
the case that people who carry
a prominent clan
family's surname
have a very,
very hard time in life.
[singer singing
in foreign language]
[Mohamed]
If you have to name it,
call it
the German-Lebanese Mafia.
And only include
the actual criminals.
Or German-Arab Mafia,
whatever, fine.
Treat the real criminals
like criminals,
but don't blame the rest of us.
I'm not their lawyer.
I won't defend those
who steal other people's stuff.
I won't do that.
It goes against my culture-
the culture I've come to know
in Germany and in Lebanon.
Both of those cultures agree
that is unacceptable.
TESTIMONY
PROF. DR. PERNICKA
[dramatic music playing]
[Ernst]
I've actually wondered
whether the defense lawyers
even know
who they're representing
and what they're advocating for.
To me, the defendants
seemed a little too confident.
That confidence was, of course,
instilled in them
by their lawyers,
who had assured them
beforehand that,
"Gold is gold,
and it can't be identified."
Naturally, it was important
to convince the court.
We were able to demonstrate
that not only the gold
but also many other elements
are within the specified
concentration range
of the stolen coin.
And that serves as clear proof
that these gold particles
indeed came from that coin.
With the support
of the Canadian Mint,
which produced this coin,
Mister Pernicka
actually succeeded
in providing this evidence.
Of course, it was a tough spot
for the defense lawyers
to get out of.
[Ernst]
The lawyers tried to spin
a false narrative to the court.
So, according to a study
by the Federal
Environment Agency
One lawyer claimed that gold
is even present in the air,
and so it wouldn't be possible
to prove anything.
Certain metallic particles
can be detected
virtually everywhere
in the air we breathe.
[Ernst]
He was referring to studies
showing that vaporized platinum
originating
from catalytic converters
can be found in the air
along highways.
But I've never heard
of a gold catalytic converter.
And there's no glittering
gold dust in the air.
That is nonsense.
So I asked him to show me
where this "gold air" is,
because I'll go there
with a bedsheet
and catch some gold.
If that were the case, I'll just
run around harvesting gold.
I'll be rich, man!
The court laughed at that.
But I was annoyed, and I said,
"Okay, I know that
you're hearing what he's saying,
but I don't think you've really
thought it all through."
[dramatic music playing]
[Ernst] Personally,
I felt like I'd won.
[laughs]
He distinguished between
particles caused by abrasion
and those that have been
produced by,
for example, sawing,
or chipping.
And we asked ourselves
whether evidence
of a person's potential presence
at the time of the disposal
has any probative value
in relation to the offense.
Because clearly,
if the gold flecks
found in the shoes
came from the coin,
then it wouldn't
have been possible
for them to have gotten there
while the crime
was being committed.
[Katrin] That is exactly
what the defense does
in cases like this.
They take every single piece
of evidence
and say, "Well, there could be
another reason for that."
And that's true, of course.
A single piece of evidence
on its own is insufficient.
But when the evidence is viewed
within a broader context,
it can't be any other way.
The court needs to be convinced
to the point
where all reasonable doubt
is dispelled.
And to me,
that was the case with this.
We messed around, for sure,
but we also served our time.
And prison itself
is glorified to the max.
In the end, was it all worth it?
Was it worth sacrificing
our futures
-for a benefit in the moment?
-No, no
it wasn't.
So, jail deters you, in a way.
But when you're alone,
left to fend for yourself,
with no prospects
for the future,
you quickly end up
going down the wrong path.
That's why my first prison
sentence didn't change me.
When I got out, I didn't have
any responsibilities.
I wanted to go after
a certain police officer
as soon as I got released
from prison.
I was prepared to do anything
to get his address,
to give him
a taste of his own medicine.
I wanted to burn down his house,
pour acid on him,
find out if his children
were old enough
for me to beat them up.
Things like that.
I didn't think
about the consequences
because I wasn't
gonna do it myself,
I'd send someone.
[dramatic music playing]
[Sharo]
Thank God I changed my mind.
Well, I had a daughter,
and that made me
rethink my whole life.
But if that hadn't happened
it would've ended badly for me,
and the police officer too.
I even decided to start therapy.
Yeah, me, the cool guy,
the tough guy, the gangster.
That decision to start therapy
really made a difference for me
during my second prison term.
I sat myself down
and worked intensively
with different social workers
and therapists.
It just hurt, you know?
All those conversations,
being open about
what had gone wrong in my life,
between my family,
my parents, and me.
It triggered something in me,
but the work I was able to do
in there really paid off.
My family, thank God,
is very well integrated
in this country.
They've all managed to build
successful careers here.
And I can recognize
the damage I've done.
This criminal energy
has caused a lot of damage.
And ultimately,
I'm to blame for it.
We need to be the ones
to address it.
It doesn't do any good
to just cover things up.
If you want
to change something
you have to let your guard down.
I really laid my soul
bare in there.
Right now, today,
there are still some scars.
And that's the price
of criminality.
When you realize
that this scene is pointless,
that this whole world
we live in,
everything is fleeting.
None of what you get
is worth the consequences.
Fancy cars,
expensive watches, none of it.
Life is too short.
So it's just not worth it.
RENDITION OF JUDGMEN
35 MONTHS AFTER THE THEF
[dramatic music playing]
The verdict in Berlin's
Bode Museum gold theft trial
is due to be given
early this morning.
The public prosecutor's office
is seeking a relatively severe
sentence for the defendants.
[Rasmi] "Anyone who steals
cultural property
of considerable value
from a public exhibition space,
or a state-protected
institution,
shall be liable
to a custodial sentence
of between two and 12 years.
The offense is deemed
especially serious if,
the offender breaks
into the premises
or gains access
without authorization."
"If the cultural asset
has a market value
of over one million euros,
if several parties work together
in a coordinated manner"
"or if safety devices
are bypassed
or tampered with"
That wasn't the case.
The window wasn't secured.
[suspenseful music playing]
[newscaster] A crowd gathered
to hear the verdict
in one of the most
spectacular trials
involving circumstantial
evidence in years.
I sat there,
trembling, wondering,
"Are we going
to walk out of here
with a guilty verdict or not?"
[Dr. Toralf] Well, our client
was hoping for an acquittal.
And for a while,
we were pretty confident
about it,
but that confidence had waned.
So we were nervous.
The judge entered,
followed by the presiding judge,
assessors and jurors.
In the name of the people,
the following verdict
is pronounced.
[André] I was hanging
on every single word
that was being said.
"The defendants Denis W.,
W. Remmo, and A. Remmo
are all found guilty of theft."
The defendant Denis W.
was given a juvenile sentence
of three years and four months,
and the defendants
W. Remmo and A. Remmo
were given juvenile sentences
of four years and six months.
Everything inside me
just released.
"Yes, we did it."
[dramatic music playing]
Only the 25-year-old
defendant W.
was acquitted
due to lack of evidence.
[Katrin]
Four people were charged,
and three were convicted.
In my opinion,
the penalty was too low
given the level of
professionalism
in carrying out the crime.
However, Juvenile Court Services
recommended the application
of juvenile criminal law
in all cases.
In short, this means
that the objective there
was re-education
rather than punishment.
And that's what
I find problematic.
I believe that all
of the defendants in this case
navigate the world
with a level of such brazenness
that has nothing to do
with the fact
that they're still young people,
but rather reflects
that they have fully embraced
this professional identity
of crime as a way of life.
In any case, time will tell,
or rather, it already has.
9 MONTHS AFTER THE JUDGMEN
[suspenseful music playing]
[female newscaster] Three men
are being brought in today
to the correctional
facility in Dresden.
All of the suspects
are members of the notorious
Remmo clan of Berlin.
[male newscaster]
On November 25th, 2019,
the alleged thieves
broke into the Green Vault
in Dresden.
The pieces were valued at over
114 million euros.
This theft is clearly an attack
on the cultural identity
of all Saxons.
[Katrin]
We were sitting in a trial
where the defendants faced
several years of imprisonment.
Their sentence was suspended.
And at least one of them
took advantage of that
by taking a trip
to the Green Vault in Dresden.
If they ever have children,
they'll probably raise them
the exact same way.
They'll probably
tell their kids,
"We have to screw over
the government."
"We have to make sure
we look out for ourselves,
and line our own pockets."
When you're raised that way,
it messes with your head.
[dramatic music playing]
The generation before us
had entirely different problems.
We're at a point
where we have to show them,
"You can do it.
You can do better
than your parents,
and your children
can do better than you."
As far as I'm concerned,
family should help one another.
Love should be a powerful force.
It should build a home.
That's what family means to me.
My friends are also my family,
among other things.
And
my mother is my family.
[Katrin] I know that the Berlin
Public Prosecutor's Office
is currently taking steps
to tackle the issue in schools,
with a particular focus
on engagement with the mothers.
The power and strength
of the women in the family,
whom nobody ever talks about,
should probably
not be underestimated.
[ambient music playing]
Our efforts haven't eliminated
the threat posed by the clans,
but they've raised awareness
and fostered
greater understanding
amongst law enforcement.
People are paying attention,
and they won't put up
with these types
of crimes anymore,
especially after
the Green Vault heist.
[Katrin] I don't feel
any sense of resignation,
quite the opposite, in fact.
more than ever,
I'm convinced that I have
to keep fighting and working
to ensure
that something like this
doesn't happen again.
[credits music playing]