GERMAN cops raided Frankfurt’s ‘Zombieland’ drugs slum in a frantic bid to clean up the hellhole area before England’s Euros visit.
Scores of officers descended on the crime-ravaged Bahnhofsviertel district – two days after The Sun revealed how clueless UEFA recommended it as a base for thousands of travelling Three Lions fans.
Frankfurt’s railway station area is known as the “most dangerous slum in Germany” – with its streets packed with 5,000 junkies and 300 dealers.
The no-go zone is so dangerous that kids are escorted to schools and even road sweepers receive police protection.
Officials in the city are desperate to clear up the district before Euro 2024 kicks off in two months – with England playing Denmark on June 20.
The major operation last Wednesday saw cops in bulletproof vests storm the station district, arresting dozens of dealers.
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Pictures show suspects pinned to the ground while having their bags searched for drugs and weapons during the hours-long raid.
Others were patted down against walls and were ordered to take off their shoes to check for concealed bags of crack cocaine.,
Dozens were said to have been handcuffed and arrested – with local brothels also raided by cops.
According to German newspaper Bild, more than 10,000 people have had their details checked by cops in the station area since February.
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Five Euros clashes will be played in Frankfurt – and most football fans will arrive at Frankfurt Central Station in the heart of the drugs slum.
The Sun revealed last week how tournament organiser UEFA had used its official tournament app to suggest fans STAY in the dangerous district for the crucial group tie with Denmark.
Half of all the crimes in million-strong Frankfurt are committed on just three streets in the station district – with four violent attacks taking place every day.
The area is SO packed with dangerous drug addicts, US companies have banned their employees from walking along them.
Politicians have described the violent area – riddled with traditional drugs like heroin and cocaine but also zombifying crystal meth – as “the open wound of Frankfurt”
Cornelia Bensinger from the Pro Altstadt association said: “You almost have to be ashamed to be from Frankfurt And now the gateway to the city looks like Harlem in the 1970s.”
The crackdown by cops comes as authorities race to clean up the district, recommended by UEFA as a place for fans to stay.
The footballing governing body was condemned by fans after official advice describing Behnhofsviertel as “an especially appealing choice if you’re considering trips to explore the city or its surroundings.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk