He promised his customers dream trips, but his own trip ended in prison: Axel Schmiegelow, head of the Cologne luxury tour operator itravel, is in custody – he is said to have ripped off his customers. “Flight risk” is written on the arrest warrant.
There is said to have been a popular joke among employees of the Cologne tour operator itravel recently: The company’s office is so close to the Cologne-Ossendorf correctional facility that the company’s founder, Axel Schmiegelow, will one day be able to use the company’s WiFi while in prison.
What may previously have been just a running joke among the workforce has now actually happened: two weeks ago, on April 2, 2024, police officers arrested the managing director of the itravel group. The 51-year-old entrepreneur has been in custody ever since. The Cologne public prosecutor’s office confirmed thisstar. The Cologne district court had previously issued an arrest warrant for Schmiegelow. There is a “risk of escape” and a “risk of recurrence”.
Source: Stern
