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CrimeGermany

Germany: Police sniff out illicit wild garlic operation

February 4, 2025

Police in eastern Germany followed their nose to discover an illegal plant harvesting ring. Officers seized a large quantity of wild garlic — a protected springtime plant that is used in the catering industry.

https://p.dw.com/p/4q1oz
Wild garlic in full bloom
Wild garlic grows particularly well in dark forests and floodplains but overharvesting can be a problemImage: Peter Himmelhuber/Zoonar/picture alliance

Police in the German state of Saxony on Tuesday said six suspects were under investigation over the illicit commercial harvesting of wild garlic.

Conservation laws allow only small amounts of the plant — a relative of regular garlic also prized by chefs — to be picked for personal use. 

What do we know about the case?

Police near the town of Oschatz caught a whiff of the illegal operation just after midnight on Tuesday morning when they passed a dark Volvo vehicle traveling with its headlights on at high beam.

They turned to stop and inspect the vehicle and noticed a pungent smell coming from the trunk. They asked the three Russian national occupants, aged 27, 29 and 39, to open it up.

"In the trunk, they found several shopping bags full of wild garlic bulbs and harvesting tools. During further investigations, the officers determined that the three men had probably dug up the wild garlic in the floodplain forest in the Leipzig district of Wahren," the Leipziger Zeitung newspaper quoted a police spokeswoman as saying.

Wild garlic as a pesto
Wild garlic is a springtime ingredient used in a variety of recipes including pestosImage: F. Hecker/blickwinkel/picture alliance

Police alerted their Leipzig colleagues who checked the nearby area of floodplain forest known for wild garlic theft.

The tip-off proved a success. At about 2 a.m. they found a BMW on site, as well as three other men aged 26, 32 and 35. They also had three bags filled with wild garlic bulbs.

Among these suspects were two old acquaintances: "Two of the three suspects found in Leipzig had already been caught red-handed stealing wild garlic in Borna a few days ago," the police spokeswoman said.

In total, police seized some 100 kilograms of bulbs worth several thousand euros. Police later posted on X describing the haul as Green Gold." 

Police said the six individuals were now being investigated for the crime of gang theft.

How common is the problem?

The overharvesting of wild garlic, also known as ramsons, cowleekes or bear garlic, in the floodplain forest is an annual event in the spring that appears to start earlier each year.

Two years ago, authorities thwarted a large-scale theft by confiscating 40 bags filled with wild garlic, the leaves of which are used in recipes including pestos and soups.

Picking a hand bouquet of leaves for personal use is generally permitted without a special permit in Germany but uprooting the plants with their bulbs or picking leaves in protected areas is not allowed.

Collectors of leaves are advised to do their research. Wild garlic, which grows in damp, shady forests and thrives particularly in floodplains, can be easily confused with toxic plants such as lily of the valley.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse

Richard Connor Reporting on stories from around the world, with a particular focus on Europe — especially Germany.