German authorities are warning about the rise of Syrian criminal family-clan structures in the eastern German state of Saxony, particularly in Leipzig, where police estimate that between 700 and 1,000 people belong to their wider environment. 4 large Syrian families are now a major focus of Saxony’s specialized Clan Task Force. Around 130 people within the broader network already appear in police records for criminal offenses. Authorities have linked individual members to violent crime, drug trafficking, money laundering, tax offenses, migrant smuggling, document forgery, illegal financial operations, social-benefits fraud and other forms of fraud. Firearms have also been seized during raids. Some clan members use networks of companies and frontmen to conceal criminal activity behind apparently legitimate businesses. Drugs are sold from the back rooms of bars and nightlife venues, while relatives provide bank accounts, vehicles and properties that make tracing money more difficult. Police say the groups’ intense family loyalty has caused investigations and prosecutions to collapse due to the absence of witnesses.