Heilbronn under the spell of fraud: Raid against driving license mafia!

Heilbronn under the spell of fraud: Raid against driving license mafia!

A large-scale strike against organized driver's license fraud was carried out in Heilbronn. A criminal gang that operated nationally and internationally is said to be responsible for numerous manipulated driving license tests. The investigation, which has been conducted by the police and prosecutors since January 2025, uncovered a system in which proxy exams were organized. These so-called “substitute examinees” posed as examinees for a fee and passed the theory test for driving license candidates, often without the necessary knowledge of traffic rules or the German language. The first documented proxy tests took place in December 2022 and were carried out primarily in Baden-Württemberg and partly in Bavaria.

On Wednesday morning, June 25, 2025, a large-scale raid took place involving over 130 police forces. The focus of the investigation was a 52-year-old driving school owner from Heilbronn, who, according to the investigation, has been involved in the fraudulent system since 2022. He and his sons are said to have benefited significantly from the income, which ranged up to 5,000 euros per examinee. It also became apparent that the “replacement examinees” sometimes traveled hundreds of kilometers from other federal states and even presented real identification documents of the selected examinees.

The investigation in detail

As part of the raid, a total of 29 buildings in five federal states were searched. The emergency services seized a significant amount of cash, luxury cars and blank pistols. Gold coins were also among the evidence seized. The extent of the fraud became clear with the arrest of twelve people, including the main suspect and a 38-year-old Bulgarian who referred compatriots to the driving school. The Bulgarian is said to have even carried out fictitious registrations, which the Bulgarian public prosecutor's office included in the investigation.

The false examinees adapted their appearance to the original examinees and took the theoretical exam with fake documents. These machinations became known not only in Germany, but also internationally, which illustrates the dimension of the fraud cases. In addition to criminal prosecution, the driving license authorities must examine all driving licenses obtained through manipulated tests and, if necessary, revoke them.

The Heilbronn police chief and the senior public prosecutor praised the months-long investigation that led to this significant success. The raid sent a strong message against organized fraud in the area of ​​driving license tests and made it clear that the constitutional state will combat such criminal activities with the utmost severity.

SWR and Echo 24 report that the number of unreported cases of such fraudulent activity is probably significantly higher than previously known. However, the authorities' measures show that intensive investigations and the cooperation of several authorities are necessary to effectively combat fraud.