The Spanish police have arrested two leaders of a Dutch-Belgian drug gang. They are a Dutchman and a Belgian, who lived in Marbella. Later , seven suspects were also arrested in the Netherlands and Belgium. Expensive cars were also seized.
The gang smuggled cocaine from Brazil to Antwerp and Rotterdam. The case started when a consignment of cocaine was intercepted in Brazil in May 2020, followed by drug seizures in Antwerp and Rotterdam.
The leaders lived in unprecedentedly luxurious villas in Marbella. One contained offices, three saunas and a padel court.
'Dutch (42) arrested by Maltese police for large-scale drug smuggling' 1 hour ago abroad _
SANTA VENERA - The Maltese police have arrested a 42-year-old Dutchman. He is suspected of possessing large amounts of cocaine and heroin, with a street value of one and a half million euros. This reports the Malta Independent.
The man has been under police surveillance for some time. When the man was arrested in the town of Qormi, he was in possession of 5 kilos of cocaine and 4 kilos of heroin. Not much later, a search of his garage also found 380 thousand euros in cash. He is suspected of importing, smuggling and possessing prohibited substances. He was also charged with money laundering. The Dutchman is still in custody.
"Mocro mafia has Amalia and Prime Minister Rutte in its sights, increased security"
The police and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) are very concerned about the security situation of Princess Amalia and Prime Minister Mark Rutte after new signals that leaders of the Mocro mafia would have targeted one of them. This is reported by De Telegraaf , based on sources within the police and the Public Prosecution Service.
Domestic editors 17-09-22, 06:12 Last update: 12:15 pm Security measures have been stepped up considerably as an attempted kidnapping or an attack is taken into account. For example, according to the newspaper, the crown princess is temporarily not living in her student house.
In addition, the judiciary is concerned about close contacts between Ridouan Taghi and Mohammed B. , who is serving a life sentence for the murder of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004. The two were detained together in the Extra Secure Institution (EBI) in Vught.
Because the contacts were too close, according to the judiciary, B. was transferred. Since then, the two have sent letters with verses from the Koran to each other, which, according to justice, may have contained encrypted messages.
Suspicious cars have been spotted a number of times around the supply of suspects and threatened persons in the Marengo process. Among other things, the Special Support Team (BOT) of the Ministry of Justice transport to the Bunker in Amsterdam-Osdorp, where the Amsterdam court is handling the Marengo trial, including that of the main suspect Ridouan Taghi.
The BOT is alert to the possibility of a violent escape being undertaken. That is why the BOT regularly varies the approach route. Scanning is carried out on parking lots, petrol stations and viaducts. A police helicopter often flies along as well.
The Belgian Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne, is being extra protected after a Dutch car was found near his house in Kortrijk in which heavy weapons and explosives were found. This is reported by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office in Belgium. Three suspects were arrested in the Netherlands in the night from Friday to Saturday. The car has been seized and is being investigated, reports the Belgian site HLN. The heavy weapons would be Kalashnikovs. The national crisis center immediately took the necessary measures to place the minister under increased security. He will not participate in a number of activities that were planned for the time being, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office reported. It is unknown if Van Quickenborne was home at the time of the looming situation.
Van Quickenborne has stepped up the fight against the drug mafia as Minister of Justice. At the end of December, he traveled to the United Arab Emirates with prosecutor Frédéric Van Leeuw to sign two treaties. The purpose of this is to be able to find, pick up and take their assets away from large drug bosses - who often hide there. That may have fallen into bad ground with the leaders.
'Fourth suspect in case of Belgian minister still on the run' 1 hour ago in INTERIOR
AMSTERDAM - With the three persons with a Dutch passport who were arrested by the police at the request of Belgian colleagues, it is possible that not all suspects in the case involving the Belgian Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne have been arrested.
According to the Flemish television channel VTM, a fourth suspect is still on the run. Details about this person, such as nationality or age, are not known.
A car with Dutch number plates was found at the minister's house on Saturday. It contained, among other things, a heavy firearm, tension straps and combustible material. The straps could indicate a plan for a kidnapping.
Three suspects have been arrested who are said to be linked to the Dutch drug environment. A fourth suspect is still on the run.
The minister himself is at a hiding place, from where he said he would not bow to intimidation by criminals.
Burglary in family grave from The Hague “godfather” Piet S.' September 24, 2022
The family grave of The Hague crimeboss Piet S. was broken open a few weeks ago. According to Algemeen Dagblad, it appears to be a well-prepared action. The fence has been cut in a corner of the Sint Barbara cemetery, in a place that is out of sight of surveillance cameras. The family grave is a small building with four doors. Two doors have been demolished.
Jesus figure It is unknown if the burglars took anything there.
The roof of the building is made of copper. At the top of the wall is written in black letters: 'Where life begins and love never ends'. Below there is an image of a cross and a kneeling Jesus figure.
The last interment was in 2016. That was the brother of Piet S. – Jaap S..
Piet S. (66) has been in pre-trial detention since September 2020. He is the main suspect in the Taxus investigation into a criminal organization that is said to have committed large-scale drug trafficking. Important evidence comes from EncroChat's police hacked chats. The police also sent police infiltrators to members of the alleged criminal organization.
Breaking open graves is a crime that is rare in the Netherlands. The Algemeen Dagblad writes that in Traveller circles, violation of graves is regarded as a great offense and insult.
In December last year, De Telegraaf reported that Piet S. would have made extensive statements about his role in the Dutch underworld. Among other things, he would have tried to mediate between the parties in the bloody feud between two groups in the Amsterdam underworld.
Seven arrests and 22 raids in major drug and money laundering investigation October 11, 2022
On Tuesday morning, the police arrested seven suspects in a large-scale investigation into money laundering and drug trafficking in Rotterdam, Bergschenhoek, Oostvoorne, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel and Amsterdam. Arrest teams raided 22 locations, including Luxembourg and Serbia.
Two years of research The investigation into the criminal organization started two years ago when information came in about possible criminal activities of the suspects. A team of financial investigators led by the Public Prosecution Service Rotterdam then started collecting evidence against the suspects. That led to the arrests and raids on Tuesday morning.
Limits The seven suspects arrested in Rotterdam, Bergschenhoek, Oostvoorne, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel and Amsterdam are in restrictions and may only have contact with their lawyer. The Hague, Montfoort, Hoogvliet, Valkenburg and Denekamp were also raided.
Mega operation Hundreds of police officers are involved in the operation, including arrest teams and a security unit. The police expect that the searches of homes and business premises in the Netherlands and abroad will last all day.
The convicted drug boss Piet W. (53) was arrested by the police on Tuesday morning in a home in Almere. He is suspected by the police and the judiciary of involvement in two liquidations in 2019 in Amsterdam and Curaçao. The former professional football player Kelvin Maynard (32) and Genciël Feller (23) were shot dead. W. is also suspected of large-scale cocaine trafficking.
Police have raided at least seven different locations. This happened in homes, a hotel room and at a company in Amsterdam, Almere, Rotterdam and Diemen. The police searched for data carriers and administration, among other things.
Piet W. has been detained for questioning and will be brought before the examining magistrate in Rotterdam on Friday.
Many police at Catshuis due to suspicious situation The police is present in The Hague on Saturday afternoon with many units in the vicinity of the Catshuis. According to the police, this is because of a suspicious situation. The Marechaussee has also been summoned.
A police spokesperson tells De Telegraaf that he cannot elaborate further on the precise nature of the threat around Prime Minister Rutte's official residence.
The area is largely closed off and traffic has to take a detour. For example, the President Kennedylaan, the important route through The Hague that runs along the Catshuis, has been closed with police tapes.
The official residence is only used for official meetings. Prime Minister Rutte lives elsewhere. The Government Information Service refers to the police, but does say that, as far as we know, there was nothing on the agenda in the Catshuis on Saturday.
Security stepped up for princess Amalia and Mark Rutte after underworld 'threats'.
It was false alarm, but it shows Dutch police/security is very nervous about the situation.
The Cabinet aims to "cut off the head of organized crime," Prime Minister Mark Rutte said during the weekly press conference on Friday. He emphasized that this is the government's goal "in a general sense."
Dutch Princess under heavy security due to organized crime threats
Suspicions fall on the "Mocro Mafia," a Moroccan criminal syndicate operating in the Netherlands and Belgium, which also recently threatened the Belgian Minister of Justice.
1,000 cops raid Brabant caravan parks, businesses in drug investigation; Several arrests About 1,000 police, FIOD, and Denfese officers raided various places in Noord-Brabant on Monday in an investigation into the large-scale production and trafficking of synthetic drugs and money laundering. Several arrests have been made, a police spokesperson told Omroep Brabant.
Officers searched at least three caravan camps in Eindhoven, several businesses, including garage De Ronde in Best, and dozens of homes across the province and elsewhere in the country.
In Oeffelt, investigators found a drug lab under construction in a commercial building on Hapseweg. The drug lab will be dismantled. Officers also found items for a cannabis plantation in an apartment on Echternachtlaan in Eindhoven.
During the raids, the police seized several items, including a firearm and several cars. “This is in the context of confiscating criminal assets,” the police spokesperson said.
The police action will likely take the rest of the day.
According to Omroep Brabant, the involvement of Defense investigators is common practice in large-scale operations like this one. The Defense investigators have the knowledge and equipment to search for things like underground or hidden spaces.
Dutch Princess under heavy security due to organized crime threats
Suspicions fall on the "Mocro Mafia," a Moroccan criminal syndicate operating in the Netherlands and Belgium, which also recently threatened the Belgian Minister of Justice.
It's terrible I can understand politicans, but the innocent crown princess Amalia is pure terrorism. She would go to university and live in a student house in Amsterdam now she's living under 24h protection.
Letter lawyers about investigative methods, 'fair trial at stake'
More than a hundred criminal lawyers express their concerns about new investigative methods by the Public Prosecution Service (OM). The Public Prosecution Service would not be open about the method of seizing, tapping and hacking encrypted communication services.
As a result, the right to a fair trial and the right to privacy are at stake, the lawyers write. Meanwhile, decrypted messages play a key role in countless criminal cases. This ranges from relatively small cases to the trial of Ridouan Taghi.
The lawyers say they endorse "the social benefit of new, advanced investigative methods", but at the moment there is a lack of transparency about this, according to them.
As a result, the lawyers say they are unable to properly check whether evidence has been obtained lawfully and whether it is reliable. Judges would systematically reject requests to do so.
"That is pressing", the lawyers write, "because in the meantime strong, factual indications have become known that fundamental human rights have been violated or are at risk of being violated".
'Boundary reached' Normally, the lawyers say they only rule on individual cases. But now "a limit has been reached", they write. "The social importance of a good administration of justice is simply too great."
A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service says in a response to Trouw that he is aware of the allegations in the letter. "To date, the use of cryptodata in criminal proceedings has been found lawful by successive judges, following the OM." He declined to comment further on the matter.
Ridouan Taghi submitted a written statement denying that he has had any involvement in the murders of the brother of key prosecution witness Nabil B., his lawyer Derk Wiersum, and crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, who was advising B. He said he also had nothing to do with the threats against Princess Amalia. Taghi is not formally accused as a suspect in those cases, but it has been repeatedly suggested that he was behind the crimes.
Taghi, now 44 years of age, was extensively heard as a witness in the heavily secured courtroom in Amsterdam-Osdorp on Friday. He testified in the criminal case against his cousin and former lawyer, Youssef T. The family member and attorney is suspected of several crimes, including the development of plans to break Taghi out of prison. Taghi is being held in pretrial detention at the maximum security penitentiary in Vught (EBI). T. was also alleged to have been the messenger between Taghi and his criminal contacts in the outside world.
All untrue, Taghi repeated several times. "Youssef is honest, has integrity and is naive. I dragged him into what has happened." Taghi was playing "games," he told the judge, and now Youssef has now become "the victim." He stated, "I was convinced I was being bugged. That's why I started telling ridiculous stories." Authorities are generally forbidden from eavesdropping on contact between an attorney and their client, and the conversations may not be recorded.
Taghi stood up on behalf of his cousin. "Youssef belongs with his children. Because of me he ended up in this misery. He has not done anything criminal." Taghi did not want to answer every question put to him, and answered none of the questions from the Public Prosecution Service.
On Friday, the Public Prosecution Service demanded seven years in prison against former lawyer Youssef Taghi (39), the cousin of Ridouan Taghi. According to the judiciary, Youssef Taghi was the indispensable link in his cousin's criminal organization.
According to the OM, Youssef Taghi was not only part of the criminal organization led by his cousin, but his role was crucial in its continuation after Taghi ended up in the EBI in December 2019. He ensured that the organization could continue to run and also earned money from it, according to the Public Prosecution Service.
Youssef Taghi assisted Ridouan as a lawyer for several months. From March 2021 he often visited his cousin in the Extra Secure Institution (EBI) in Vught. According to the OM, Youssef was guilty of "a range of serious offenses", including a violent escape attempt from the EBI. The fact that Taghi was involved in criminal activities as a lawyer sees the judiciary as aggravating the sentence.
Youssef Taghi is also said to have smuggled out messages from his cousin . As a result, according to the Public Prosecution Service, Ridouan Taghi could continue to manage his criminal organization from prison. The OM says that Youssef Taghi's role went beyond that of an errand boy.
The criminal organization responsible for the murder of Peter R. de Vries is said to have had plans to kidnap Prime Minister Mark Rutte. The protected (Polish) witness (called “Eddy” in the file) says he heard this from Krystian M., who is suspected of directing the murder of De Vries. NU.nl writes this based on a statement that has been viewed by the website.
Eddy 's statements play an important role in the trial of the suspects in the murder of the crime journalist. Eddy (also presented as “witness 5089”) links the executors of the liquidation to the criminal organization of Ridouan Taghi.
In an interrogation last month, Eddy said that there were also plans to kidnap Rutte. He said that he was told by Krystian M., shortly after the murder of De Vries. Two months after the death of the crime journalist in July 2021, the prime minister was given extra security due to threat. 'Spotters' are said to have been seen in the vicinity of Rutte.
In the Antwerp district of Merksem, an eleven-year-old girl died on Monday evening when a house was shot at. That's what the local police say. “This has all the appearance of a settlement within the drug environment,” says Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever. The child shot dead is the niece of a 'wealthy Antwerp drug criminal'.
Antwerp has been crazy lately.
A building belonging to the Antwerp family EH has been hit by drug violence twelve times, the last time that happened on Monday night. The family has been the target of drug criminals for more than three years now. The Gazet van Antwerpen wrote a short profile of the two brothers Naim and Ilias, who made it from street dealers to players in international cocaine smuggling.
Several people were arrested by the police on the A27 on Tuesday morning after a boy (15) was kidnapped in Amsterdam. In the Tweede Jan Steenstraat in Amsterdam, a 15-year-old boy was forcibly taken away on Tuesday morning. He was liberated again on the A27.
At around 8:40 am, the police in Amsterdam received a report that a boy was being pushed into a van by several people in the De Pijp district, in Amsterdam South. The police managed to trace the van on the A27 near Groenekan and the car got stuck. The police started a "talk-out procedure" in which warning shots were fired.
The boy was found physically unharmed and freed. Three men were arrested: a 36-year-old man from Weesp, a 35-year-old man from Amsterdam and a 29-year-old man from Almere. The suspects have been taken to the police station and taken into custody. The arrested suspects are in restraints. This means that they may only have contact with their lawyer. For that reason, the police do not want to provide more information at this time.
In the hunt for two very violent leaders of the Dutch cocaine mafia, the Amsterdam police are asking for the help of the public. As of Tuesday, the two fugitives are among the most wanted criminals in the Netherlands.
It concerns the Dutch Moroccans Fahd El Kandoussi (38) and Mohammed Kadjouh (46), who have both been placed on the National Most Wanted List of the national police since Monday evening. The police do not only want to arrest them because they are suspected of being involved in the coke trade, but are also associated with kidnappings and shootings.
According to the police, Mohammed Kadjouh may be staying in Dubai or Morocco. According to the judiciary, he heads a global drug network together with El Kandoussi. They are suspected of importing thousands of kilograms of coke. The police found out in the investigation that they both lead a very luxurious life and own very expensive real estate and valuable goods from premium brands.
The criminal Ronald de Jong, also known as 'Red Ron', who grew up in Amsterdam, died on Thursday at the age of 60. He had been ill for some time, his family reported to the ANP.
In the early 1990s, De Jong earned a lot of money trading large quantities of drugs, which he transported as a driver. The police and judiciary let these and other drug transports through in order to penetrate to the top of the criminal organization with leaders such as Mink K. and Stanley Hillis.
This matter became known as the IRT Affair. It caused a lot of commotion in 1993 because police officers also turned out to be dealing in drugs and could keep the millions they earned for themselves. The parliamentary inquiry into the controversial investigative methods, led by PvdA politician Maarten van Traa, produced a damning verdict in 1996 and led to stricter legislation.
De Jong then became embroiled in legal proceedings about laundering the money he had earned from the drug trade. He was acquitted of that. In 2018, the Public Prosecution Service appealed against the acquittal.
TUESDAY, 24 JANUARY 2023 - 17:15 Italian police arrest Dutch drug crime fugitive at Lake Garda villa Police from the province of Brescia, Italy arrested a Dutch fugitive who had been hiding out in a luxury villa. The man was taken into custody at the home in Desenzano, a holiday town along the southwestern shore of Lake Garda where fewer than 30,000 people reside.
The suspect was not identified, but authorities said in a statement that he was wanted by international authorities for the production and distribution of narcotics. Dutch police issued a European arrest warrant for the man in December, saying he is also a suspected money launderer. His arrest was announced in Italy on Monday.
Hunt for Bolle Jos: mother and sister of top criminal arrested Today at 12:30 • Updated today at 22:51
On Tuesday, the police sought information about his whereabouts from relatives of the wanted top criminal Jos Leijdekkers from Breda. Houses and an office in Breda, Prinsenbeek and Rotterdam, among others, were searched. During the action, the police arrested two women aged 68 and 27. It concerns the mother and a sister of the top criminal.
The two are suspected of laundering criminal money. According to the Public Prosecution Service, they probably accepted money and expensive gifts, knowing that they had been paid for with crime money. The two are still detained and are being questioned by detectives from the National Criminal Investigation Department about the suspicions against them.
The parents and a sister of Leijdekkers, alias Bolle Jos, traveled to Turkey in August and December last. There, according to the Public Prosecution Service, they may have had contact with their wanted son and brother, who is suspected of large-scale cocaine trafficking and excessive violence.
Watches, jewelry and handbags During the various searches on Tuesday, valuable watches and other jewelry, expensive handbags and large amounts of money were seized. This concerns tens of thousands of euros in cash and other large amounts of money in foreign currency.
In addition to the said valuables and cash, mobile telephones, USB sticks and other data carriers, computers, cameras and photos were also seized. These items are examined for clues regarding the whereabouts of Leijdekkers. During the searches, investigators also found two fake German passports.
75,000 euros for golden tip A reward of 75,000 euros was offered last year for the golden tip that leads to the arrest of Leijdekers.
Bolle Jos has probably been staying in Turkey for a long time. He is seen as one of the key players in the international cocaine trade. He is also suspected of large-scale laundering of the criminal proceeds of his drug trade. According to the judiciary, this would involve tens of millions of euros and hundreds of kilos of gold that were probably earned from the cocaine trade.
On 3 May last year, the 31-year-old top criminal was placed on the National Investigation List and the 'EU Most Wanted List'.
Justice: His laconic response to intercepted coke shows that Gregory F. was a serious player
Justice demands 9 years in prison for Gregory F. (49) because of the import of about 1700 kilos of cocaine by the suspected business relation of Ridouan Taghi. This is in accordance with the process agreements that have been made with him, but F. still hopes that the court will impose one year less.
Gregory F. has reached a settlement of 2.25 million euros with the Public Prosecution Service.
F. had been involved in the import of cocaine from 2015 to 2020 via the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. The suspicion against F. is based on four drug shipments. The two other suspects are suspected of being involved in two drug transports in 2015.
During the period under investigation, F. maintained contacts with the supplier of the batches of cocaine, according to the Public Prosecution Service. His co-defendants assisted him in transporting, extracting the cocaine and further distributing the drugs. F. was arrested on September 19, 2021 in Curacao, where he temporarily stayed. Presumably he lived in Suriname before that time.
Security agencies in the Netherlands have failled according to a new report.
This is pretty big here!
The police and OM missed many clues to the murder of Wiersum and Peter R. de Vries.Independent research proves that the police were warned several times about the murder of Peter R. de Vries, lawyer Derk Wiersum and the brother of the key witness, but internal blunders did not lead to better security. In a new report, the Dutch Safety Board exposes system errors that allowed the gang of alleged top criminal Ridouan Taghi to strike again and again. The OVV report describes in detail the contacts between security officials from various government services and the three men leading up to their deaths. This shows various system errors.
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