Cannabis trafficking assistance and forfeiture of proceeds: modification of conviction and scope of confiscation in criminal appeal

The Federal Court of Justice (5th Criminal Senate) dismissed the defendant’s appeal as unfounded, but modified the lower court’s judgment by finding the defendant guilty of aiding and abetting cannabis trafficking and illegal possession in fifteen counts and ordering the forfeiture of €7,000 in proceeds of crime, while striking the remainder of the forfeiture order. The case involved a criminal appeal against a Leipzig Regional Court conviction for drug offenses, where the defendant challenged the legal assessment and sentencing. The court determined that no significant legal errors to the defendant’s detriment remained after the correction of the conviction scope and the adjustment of the confiscation amount, resulting in the defendant bearing the costs of the appeal.