At the time, the precious metal had a value of approximately 40 million euros. Due to the increased price of gold, this has now increased to 100 million euros.


Trial of mega gold heist begins, main suspects on the run in Dubai
On Friday 21 March, two suspects will appear in court for a mega gold robbery at a company on the Coolsingel in Rotterdam in 2019. The two main suspects, 44-year-old Tjeerd K. and 43-year-old Thomas B., have been on the run since the discovery of the gold robbery and are staying in Dubai. It is the first time that a public hearing has been held before the Rotterdam court in this investigation, which began six years ago.

Director's meeting
Next Friday, a so-called preliminary hearing will take place in the case. The case will not yet be dealt with in substance, but during the hearing, the status of the investigation will be discussed and the defense's requests for investigation will be addressed.

Very complex
The Public Prosecution Service reported on Monday that the investigation into the gold theft is 'very complex' and that is why the investigation into the case is taking so long. The two main suspects, Tjeerd K. and Thomas B. from Venlo, former directors of safe deposit box rental company Safe Deposit Nederland (SDN) on the Coolsingel, left for Dubai in January 2019 and have been on the run ever since. They will most likely not be present at the preliminary hearing on 21 March. An international arrest warrant was already issued against the two in 2020.

40 million
The case concerns one of the largest vault robberies in Dutch history. In December 2019 it was announced that approximately 40 million euros worth of gold (bars) had been stolen from an SDN vault in Rotterdam. The owners of SDN had been in Dubai for a long time at that time.

The investigation focused in particular on the companies TOV Hazel and Safe Deposit Nederland. TOV Hazel purchased precious metals for wealthy clients, among other things. Safe Deposit Nederland was responsible for the storage of those purchases, among other things.

Inside job
Because no traces of forced entry were found, the police assume an inside job . The precious metal in the safe was replaced by other materials. According to the judiciary, the two main suspects had extra access passes to the heavily guarded safes. At the time, the precious metal had a value of approximately 40 million euros. Due to the increased price of gold, this has now increased to 100 million euros.

The police and the judiciary do not know where the gold is. The gold and the possible investments made with it are still being investigated. The police are calling on people who may have information about this to report it.

Dismissed
Two suspects have been arrested in the investigation to date. In early March 2020, the police arrested a man who, according to the judiciary, was one of the helpers in the gold robbery. On December 17, 2019, Ron Schouten (then director of TOV Hazel) was arrested as a suspect in the gold robbery. He was released shortly after his arrest, but remained a suspect in the investigation. The Public Prosecution Service dropped his case in August 2020. Police investigations show that he is innocent.

"The king is dead, long live the king!"