37 extractors arrested in the port of Rotterdam in one week May 17, 2024 The police and customs have made 38 arrests at various locations on the Maasvlakte in the port of Rotterdam over the past seven days. This concerns 37 perpetrators, thirteen of whom are minors. Among them are four 15-year-old boys. Furthermore, the ages vary between 15 and 33 years and the suspects come from Alkmaar, Rijssen, Zoetermeer, Alphen aan de Rijn, Ridderkerk, Hoogvliet and Rotterdam. The police said in a press release on Friday that they are suspected of drug trafficking.
When we make a video call, we see Marco Ebben in a room with a poster of Putin on the wall. “My girlfriend's family here is a fan.” Only his eyes are visible, he is wearing a black balaclava and a cap. “My appearance has changed somewhat since the last photos in circulation. They don't need to know what I look like right now.” He does not want to answer the question whether he has had it renovated. For an hour we see him sitting motionless and relaxed in front of us through the phone screen.
And so he has been wandering around for four years: Spain, Dubai, Italy (where his wife and daughter live), Turkey and now Russia. Although: is he really in Russia? And is the man in a balaclava definitely Marco Ebben? To prove this, he sends a video: a forged passport with his photo and a Belgian name appears on the screen. “It strongly seems to me that another person has this.” The camera pans to two automatic weapons, an AK-47 Kalashnikov and an M4 carbine. One copy has the initials ME, the other, gold-colored with the Dutch flag, has his full name engraved. His lawyer Jan-Hein Kuijpers confirms that it is his client Marco Ebben. “You can take that from me. He told me he was going to contact you.” Ebben is willing to talk for once, on the condition that we don't record anything and only co-write. It is no problem to use his name in full. “It's already on Europol anyway.”
You can't make a living from that unless you are a top athlete. “I have very wealthy in-laws, both in Russia and Italy. They are part of the government and I do my part within those families. Let's keep it at that. I won't say more, that is interesting for the Public Prosecution Service. Soon they will also bother my in-laws and they have to stay out of everything. Just like my father. He is an old man of 72 years old, he has served his sentence. Leave that man alone for once.”
Record number of drug labs busted last year; Sharp rise in heroin, synthetid drugs
Last year, the Dutch police dismantled a record 151 drug laboratories, a massive 44 percent more than in 2022. There was a sharp increase in heroin and synthetic drug labs, while the number of cocaine labs remained stable and cannabis plantations decreased, the police reported on Tuesday.
The police busted 10 heroin labs last year, up from just 2 in 2022. The number of synthetic drug labs increased by 50 percent, from 83 in 2022 to 125 in 2023.
Last year, the police found 32 production sites for MDMA and 29 for methamphetamine, compared to 15 for both the year before. Cops also dismantled 18 locations producing raw materials for MDMA and methamphetamine.
The police also noted an increase in combination labs dismantled - 21 in 2023 and 9 in 2022. These locations can produce multiple types of drugs. “Criminal organizations are apparently able to quickly switch between production of different types of drugs, depending on demand,” said Willem Woelders, in charge of the drug file at the police.
The most drug labs were discovered in Zuid-Holland (40) and Noord-Brabant (35). According to the police, Zuid-Holland’s top position is partly due to cocaine- and heroin cutting being concentrated in this province. These two provinces also had the most drug waste dumping sites - 42 in Noord-Brabant and 33 in Zuid-Holland. The police found 191 dumping sites throughout the country last year, up 23 percent.
“An important explanation for the increased number of labs that have been dismantled can be found in the increased global demand for drugs,” Woelders said. “We have strong indications that demand is increasing. We see this, for example, in the worldwide seizures of (synthetic) drugs that can be linked to the Netherlands.”
Cannabis plantations are counted separately from drug labs. The number of cannabis farms dismantled in the Netherlands has been decreasing for years, and that decline continued in 2023. Last year, the police busted 1,230 cannabis plantations, compared to 1,640 in 2022 and 2,285 in 2021.
“The decrease is because local authorities are making different choices in their drug approach, with more emphasis on cocaine or synthetic drugs than on hemp,” Woelders said. “There are also signals that more hemp is being imported from abroad, making production in the Netherlands less necessary for criminals.”
Possibly the most terrifying duo to come out of Amsterdam. As outrageously violent as the present day cocaine traffickers are - especially thanks to the media coverage - it's difficult to explain nowadays how feared Mieremet and Klepper were back in the day. I was a little kid living in the neighboring country when they were still alive and even as a child I heard people talking about them. They were the subject of lots of underworld horror stories - some maybe true, some maybe myth - but the point stands: to say they were feared is an understatement...people were scared shitless of those guys.
And yet both got killed in their 40s...so there was still someone bigger than them... I never knew they were Jewish tho lol
'Tearing cards and counting money' Otten, who was often found at Casa Rosso himself, always remained very involved in the company. He worked there before he became the owner. "I have little brains, I can only tear tickets and count money," he said to AT5 ten years ago .
"The Red Light District was close to his heart," can be read on the Casa Rosso website. "He and his companies actively committed themselves to every initiative to improve the neighborhood and the image of the neighborhood."
He was also 'a friend and father to the people around him', the website says. He had a great love for animals. "He showed his commitment and support with actions, not with words."
'Big boss is dead' The management of Otten's company is 'overwhelmed with emotions'. Many Amsterdam residents also react to his death on social media. “The big boss is dead,” someone writes.
“Nuto” and “Rasta” may be extradited to the Netherlands May 27, 2024
The Dominican Republic may extradite Dennis G., alias “Rasta” (48) and Urvin “Nuto” W. (43), leader of the Curaçao street gang No Limit Soldiers, suspected of large-scale cocaine trafficking, to the Netherlands. The Supreme Court in the Dominican Republic has approved the extradition procedure after more than a year. G. and W. tried for a year to prevent their transfer to the Netherlands. This is what the daily newspaper Diario Libre writes .
Dutchman Dennis G. is seen by the investigative services as a criminal contact of Ridouan Taghi. G. is said to be a childhood friend of Taghi and one of the last criminal contacts around his organization, who was still at large until the spring of 2023.
Arrests G. was arrested in April 2023 in the Dominican Republic, together with Terence “Slice” de V. from Amsterdam-Zuidoost and Urvin “Nuto” W., leader of the Curaçao street gang No Limit Soldiers. Dennis G. stayed on the island in the Caribbean Sea for many years. He was arrested there in 2015 in connection with the discovery of cocaine in his home and was in pre-trial detention for some time. He lived in a luxurious villa in Santo Domingo.
Large-scale cocaine trafficking Dennis G., alias “Rasta”, is seen by the Public Prosecution Service and the National Criminal Investigation Department as an important player in the international cocaine trade. He is said to have used criminal contacts in both the Dominican Republic and the Netherlands, including corrupt port employees.
Ennetcom According to the Public Prosecution Service, decrypted Ennetcom messages show that G. is probably involved in cocaine transports of 985 and 522 kilos, which were seized in Colombia in 2015. G. is said to be the owner of the packages of cocaine, which were stamped with his nickname “Rasta”. He is also said to have been involved in a transport of 47 kilos of cocaine, which was intercepted in Great Britain in 2015.
Decrypted messages from SkyECC have raised suspicions that he was also involved in the importation of hundreds of kilos of cocaine into the Netherlands in 2019 and 2020.
No Limit Soldiers Urvin “Nuto” W . is seen as the leader of the Curaçao street gang No Limit Soldiers (NLS) from the Koraalspecht district. He also lived in the Dominican Republic for many years. He is suspected of drug trafficking, assassination, kidnapping, bribery and money laundering.
Terence de V. was extradited to the Netherlands by the Dominican Republic in September last year. On January 26, 2018, he was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison by the court in Amsterdam for drug offenses and money laundering.
Dennis G. and Urvin W. contested their extradition to the Netherlands.
According to Diario Libre, the Netherlands has requested the extradition of the Dutchman and Curaçaoan, partly because they are said to have 'made plans for the kidnapping of Princess Amalia and ex-Prime Minister Mark Rutte'.
Police release new images in the murder case of Pieter Hoovers and Tae May 28, 2024, 3:45 PM · Modified May 28, 2024, 10:55 PM
An English criminal may be behind the murder of a couple in Amsterdam in 2017. He was said to have been helped by Dutch people in committing the murder.
The police have released new images in the investigation into the death of Pieter Hoovers and his wife Tae. The couple was found dead in a house on Ceintuurbaan in July 2017 and it is still unclear who is behind the double murder. The new images could help the investigation, the police reported in the television program Opsporing Verzocht.
The images show a Mercedes Sprinter van. It was said to have been used by the suspected perpetrator as one of the getaway cars. The police now want to know who owned such a bus in the summer of 2017 and drove it on the evening in question. The police also shared images of another getaway car.
Operator in Thailand Hoovers owned a cafe in Thailand, but was also well-known in the Amsterdam music and martial arts scene. He founded, among other things, the record label Outland Records. In the 1990s he traveled to Thailand where he met his wife Tae and with whom he opened a business in the seaside resort of Pattaya.
In the summer of 2017 they were back in Amsterdam. They were found dead in a house on Ceintuurbaan at the end of July. The police conducted an extensive investigation, offered 20,000 euros for the golden tip and released images of the suspected murderer in the spring of 2018. This all yielded nothing.
In 2020, crime reporter John van den Heuvel managed to obtain information from people in Thailand, where Hoovers and his wife lived. As a result, the case was reopened at the time.
In 2005, Hoovers' café made the news when criminal John Mieremet was murdered in Pattaya. The Amsterdammer was a regular customer of the Hoovers pub together with his good friend Ferry de Kok. Rumors that it was Hoovers who tipped John Mieremet away to his Amsterdam enemies were never substantiated.
Public Prosecution Service demands up to 14 years in prison against members of the Eindhoven drug gang May 31, 2024
The Public Prosecution Service demanded a fourteen-year prison sentence for sixteen members of an international drug organization in the court in Den Bosch on Thursday. According to Omroep Brabant, it concerns an Eindhoven drug gang, including a father and son, who are said to be the heads of the criminal organization.
Synthetic drugs The investigation got underway after information was received by the police in November 2020 that several people in the Brabant underworld were involved in, among other things, the production of synthetic drugs. This would involve the production of amphetamine, methamphetamine and MDMA. During the investigation, which lasts approximately two years, a large number of suspects are identified.
Eight drug labs In sometimes changing compositions, the men would be involved in the production of synthetic drugs. During the course of the investigation, a large number of drug labs were closed down, including in Someren , Neerkant (photo), Oeffelt (under construction), Lottum (Limburg) and Belgium (Peer, Merksplas, Oud-Turnhout).
Large-scale and international According to the Public Prosecution Service, the investigation reveals a picture of a criminal organization that operates internationally and on a large scale. In total, this involved eight drug labs that operated for almost 2.5 years. There were thousands of liters of chemicals and kilos of drugs, equivalent to many millions of ecstasy pills.
Burglars kill military police officer Toon (49) in the presence of his wife and child in Curaçao: 'Losing a beloved colleague' Colleagues of military police officer Toon Brood (49), who was killed during an armed robbery in Curaçao, are deeply shocked by his death. The adjutant is known to be very sociable and well-liked. Brood was shot dead by burglars on Friday evening. His wife and child, who were also in the house, survived the violence.
Raymond Boere 01-06-24, 21:27 Last update: 02-06-24, 09:13 Brood had worked for the Royal Military Police for 23 years and spent most of his career in the Netherlands. For years he watched over the Zeeland coast with the Scheldestromen Brigade, but recently he moved to the Caribbean with his family. Since July 2022, he has been second team leader at the unit that had to strengthen border control at the airport. According to the Dutch representation in Willemstad, he was 'very committed to his work'. "We are deeply shocked," they said in a statement.
The tragic news is also hitting hard in the Netherlands. "He was a valued colleague, who was very popular because of his knowledge and social capabilities," said a spokesperson for the Marechaussee in the Netherlands.
According to the police in Curaçao, Brood was sitting with his wife on the terrace of their house in Willemstad late that evening when they heard a noise. Brood went to check and shortly afterwards the woman heard a shot. Three men then entered the house, partly masked. One of the three men had a firearm in his hand. They threatened the woman who handed over money and keys to the car. After further searching the house, they fled in the car. Ambulance staff could no longer do anything for Brood.
A child of the couple was present in the house during the robbery. It is still unclear how the child is doing. The neighbors raised the alarm when they heard the woman screaming for help just before midnight.
The police announced that the car has now been recovered. Police chief Raymond Ellis indicated that we are working hard together with the Netherlands. “We cannot allow this. We cannot tolerate this. We are working hard on it.”
The Royal Military Police says it is 'shocked and intensely sad'. "We wish his loved ones all the strength and support them," X says. Outgoing Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yesilgöz said her thoughts are with the relatives. Kajsa Ollongren, outgoing Minister of Defense, says she is shocked by the news.
Chief officer Heiko de Jong called it a terrible incident. "It shows again that we have a major problem with illegal firearms, and we are already working hard on that. Perhaps this incident will mean that we can tackle it even more seriously and that the penalties for illegal possession of weapons can also be increased.”
Illegal gambling: arrest team raids full restaurant in Hilversum June 8, 2024
In Hilversum, a police arrest team raided a well-known Italian restaurant on Friday evening. This is Italian restaurant Casa Di Georgio at the intersection of Larenseweg and Johannes Geradtsweg in Hilversum-Noord. According to the police, the raid was carried out because there were indications that illegal gambling was taking place in the restaurant. The police arrested one person on suspicion of trafficking in hard drugs.
Everyone inside during the raid on Friday evening was searched. The police found narcotics in the possession of a 37-year-old employee from Huizen. He has been arrested. A colleague had a knife and pepper spray with him.
In addition, ten people were gambling illegally in the case. The police seized a total of almost 8,000 euros related to gambling.
The suspicions are submitted to the Public Prosecution Service.
There was a large presence of armed and masked police on Friday evening. During the investigation, guests had to remain seated at their tables while the heavily armed men stood in the restaurant. Later, people were allowed to leave the building one by one.
Alleged fugitive drug boss Bolle Jos (32) earned 70 million euros per month, he's worth 1 billion. Justice demanded today 24 years in prison. Joseph Johannes Leijdekkers is the most wanted criminal for years.
A fortune of 1 billion: why Bolle Jos is the most wanted criminal in Belgium and the Netherlands Exactly one year after the major manhunt in Turkey for 'Bolle Jos' Leijdekkers, the long-awaited trial against the Dutchman starts today. But the main character? He still manages to stay out of the hands of an entire police force. With a pile of fake passports, private jets, possible plastic surgery and a staggering fortune of 1 billion. Why is it so difficult to catch him?
The ruthless cocaine empire of 'Bolle Jos': 'Turnover of at least 70 million per month'
Blocks of cocaine with his own name on it, a staggering drug turnover and careless decisions about life and death. According to the Public Prosecution Service, it is part of the 'ruthless greed for money' of Jos Leijdekkers (32). According to the justice department, this would make the most wanted man in the country a turnover of at least 70 million per month. It should get him 24 years in prison. “Because this is just the tip of his cocaine mountain.”
Chiel Timmermans, Yelle Tieleman 10-06-24, 15:17 Last update: 20:04 The prosecutors called it 'extra-category international cocaine trafficking' on Monday during the trial against Leijdekkers. A story about a shipment of 259 kilos of cocaine that was intercepted in the port of Antwerp in February 2020 is telling. Or 'burnt', as Leijdekkers himself calls it. The drugs are hidden under 30 centimeters of coffee beans in a container from the Dominican Republic, with which he says he can earn '6 million'.
But when the drugs are discovered, he apparently shrugs his shoulders. Via his encrypted telephone he sends to his companions: 'Four more containers at sea, all containing more than a ton.' According to the prosecutors, it is typical of the scale of the drug trade of 'Bolle Jos': "259 kilos of cocaine have just been seized, but apparently thousands of kilos are still on the way."
In the Rotterdam court on Monday, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) outlined Jos Leijdekkers' 'ruthless greed for money'. The Brabander - himself still on the run and therefore absent - is portrayed as a drug trafficker with a staggering turnover. A drug trafficker for whom violence is never far away: "Doing business with Leijdekkers can have serious consequences," said the officers. “He decides about life and death quite carelessly.”
If it were up to the Public Prosecution Service, he would spend 24 years in prison: “He sees himself as a big player. With a big player comes a big punishment.”
Cocaine between frozen fruit pulp In the lawsuit, he is being prosecuted for, among other things, six drug transports between October 2019 and May 2020, all of which were intercepted. In total, this concerns thousands of kilos with a street value of hundreds of millions. Two outliers were the 1,554 kilos of cocaine hidden in a load of frozen fruit pulp in Rotterdam and a batch of 4,159 kilos under a deck load of squid in Antwerp. "And this is just the tip of his cocaine mountain," the officers said. According to their own calculations, he would generate a monthly turnover of 70 to 170 million euros through drug trafficking.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, Leijdekkers works as a micromanager. From abroad he directs the 'soldiers' who have to remove the drugs from the containers in the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. He passes on to them the information he receives from his corrupt contacts at the port companies and security. "But his influence also extends to the countries where cocaine is produced," the officers point to the special 'Holly' stamp that Leijdekkers have printed on blocks of coke in South America.
The investigation into Leijdekkers - called Woodlake - started in March 2021 after authorities managed to crack the criminal telephone service Sky ECC. According to the Public Prosecution Service, the Brabander was a major user of this, he had at least eight accounts. He then used nicknames such as El Presidente or El Ganador (read: the winner). The messages provided a cascade of evidence against Leijdekkers.
From the messages, the Public Prosecution Service reconstructs, among other things, a crazy action in Finland. After half of a shipment of cocaine went missing in the port in Rotterdam in December 2019, the ship sailed on to Helsinki. For a 'rescue operation', as Bolle Jos himself calls it, he sends a six-man team after it. Ultimately, a group of masked men violently rob two employees who are working in Finland with the container containing the drugs in question.
Leijdekker encourages the violent action via his encrypted telephone: 'Take the driver hostage, knock him out and tie him up' and 'You hold them at gunpoint.' The two victims have a gun put to their heads and are severely beaten. One of them suffers broken ribs and a perforated lung. “It was an explosion of violence against two completely innocent people,” the prosecutor said. “It shows how tough the world of cocaine trafficking is. This goes hand in hand with excessive violence.”
Liquidation plan for torture container suspects This is also evident from the plan in February 2020 to liquidate an apparent rival. The intended target is the Utrecht drug criminal Robin van Ouwerkerk, who is later seen by the judiciary as one of the main suspects in the controversial case surrounding the 'torture containers' in Wouwse Plantage. The liquidation does not go ahead for unknown reasons, Van Ouwerkerk later dies of cancer.
"Frankly disgusting," the officers call the messages going back and forth surrounding the murder attempt. "Brother, we have to let someone sleep," Leijdekkers says to an accomplice, according to the Public Prosecution Service. "A really important one." He promises a reward of 200,000 euros and sends a photo from housing website Funda, showing the target's home in The Hague: 'We just found out this is the address of that dog.'
200,000 euros for a golden tip The trial started on Monday without the main character himself. The suspects' bench remained empty, Bolle Jos was not even represented by a lawyer. The Brabander has been on the National Investigation List for over two years now and never before has such a high reward been promised for the golden tip: 200,000 euros. Nevertheless, he is still on the run.
It is known that Bolle Jos was in hiding in Turkey for some time. About a year ago, a large-scale manhunt for him started there, during which numerous people from his alleged organization were arrested. Several family members, including his brother-in-law and older brother, were put in handcuffs last year. It is not clear where he is still hiding in Turkey.
New key witness speaks out about underworld conflict surrounding Piet Costa The Public Prosecution Service has presented a new key witness. This concerns 29-year-old Dominique K. He has opened up about murders and violent cases in Amsterdam and Rotterdam from 2020 and 2021. The violence is related to a feud in the underworld, in which an amount of 130 million euros was allegedly stolen . The key witness deal was concluded by the Public Prosecution Service in Amsterdam.
Yelle Tieleman, Chiel Timmermans 11-06-24, 11:58 Last update: 13:37 The key witness has, among other things, made incriminating statements about the murder of Rotterdam resident Ibrahim Azaim in May 2020. Azaim was the driver and accountant of Roger P., alias Piet Costa. During that period there were also plans for the murder of Hassan M., a confidant of Costa . He ultimately escapes a cold-blooded liquidation because he realizes that he is being followed. The key witness further made statements about the mistaken murder of Serdar Ay on October 20, 2020 in Amsterdam and the shooting of the Mad Fox nightclub in Amsterdam
Underworld conflict over 130 million euros The murder of Azaim was probably part of an underworld conflict that erupted in 2020 between Roger P. and his former associate Ali D. The latter is said to have stolen an amount of approximately 130 million from the Rotterdam drug trafficker and invested in, among other things, real estate in Dubai .
At the time of Azaim's murder, P. had the controversial 'torture containers' built in the Brabant village of Wouwse Plantage. His group planned to kidnap, torture and kill their rivals, or even their relatives. 'This whole group must die. And family is allowed too. Even their dog," P. wrote in a chat, according to the Public Prosecution Service.
P. was considered one of the key figures in the global cocaine trade. He was sentenced to long prison terms for both large-scale drug trafficking and the construction of the torture containers.
Crown witness himself convicted The key witness, 29-year-old Dominique K., was himself sentenced to fifteen years in prison for involvement in the murder of Ay in Amsterdam-Osdorp. The court considered it proven that K. installed the beacon under the victim's car. This allowed the eventual shooters to follow the Volkswagen Polo in question. Ay is said to have borrowed the car in question from the actual target of the liquidation.
In exchange for a reduced sentence, K. has now defected to the Public Prosecution Service. "He has provided the Public Prosecution Service with important information about both his own role and that of clients and executors," the Public Prosecution Service said. "The cases about which the key witness has stated are investigated by a criminal investigation team consisting of Amsterdam and Rotterdam detectives, led by a team of Rotterdam and Amsterdam public prosecutors, and are brought before the Amsterdam court."
The key witness is assisted by lawyer Onno de Jong. He does not want to comment substantively on the news at this time. In the past, De Jong assisted, among others, Nabil B. , who made statements about Ridouan Taghi as a key witness.
First key witness deal since devastating OVV report This is the first deal with a key witness since the damning report last year by the Dutch Safety Board (OVV). It concluded that the government had seriously failed to protect relatives of key witness Nabil B. His brother Reduan, lawyer Derk Wiersum and confidant Peter R. de Vries were shot dead after it became known that B. had made statements against Ridouan Taghi and his organization . Information about possible threats was not always shared within the investigative services at the time.
Before the report came out, then Minister Ye?ilgöz (Justice and Security) announced that she wanted to expand the crown witness scheme. According to her, key witnesses are an essential tool in the fight against serious organized crime. She pointed to Italy as an example. It earned her the necessary criticism from politicians. Based on the OVV report, he found that security around key witnesses must first be in order before new deals are concluded.
Ye?ilgöz wants to expand the scheme so that less serious criminals can also be persuaded to become key witnesses, such as an accountant or port employee. In the deal, the entire sentence could be waived if someone testifies against leaders in the underworld. But only if the key witness faces a prison sentence of up to six years. Otherwise, the current maximum of 50 percent penalty reduction will continue to apply.
Key witness deals essential The Amsterdam Public Prosecution Service responds that 'of course lessons have been learned' from the OVV report. "The Public Prosecution Service's principle is that we only make crown witness arrangements with crown witnesses when this can also be considered responsible in terms of security," a spokesperson said in writing. He further emphasizes: 'Some serious crimes can only be solved with inside knowledge. If we no longer want to use key witnesses, we must also accept that certain suspects of serious crimes cannot be convicted for their actions. That is unacceptable.'
Dutch Colombian arrested on cocaine smuggling charges June 13, 2024
A Colombian Dutch dual national has been arrested in Colombia on suspicion of large-scale cocaine smuggling local justice ministry officials have said.
The man, named by the Colombian authorities as David Ricardo Tromp, is said to have been the organiser of a criminal network that sent cocaine to the Netherlands and China which had been hidden in the luggage of travellers.
The gang was based at Cartagena airport and Tromp was in charge of persuading people to carry the drugs, and providing them with accommodation, transportation, international permits and air tickets.
He has been charged with trafficking, manufacture and possession of narcotics and, according to the Colombian authorities, has accepted the charge.
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