The national authorities of Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and Norway, with the active support of Eurojust, have taken down an organised crime group (OCG) involved in drug trafficking. The investigation showed that a transport company based in the Netherlands was involved in smuggling large quantities of drugs to several European countries.

Dutch suspects were arrested in the following countries: one in the Netherlands, one in Germany, one in Spain, three in Italy, one in Sweden, one in the UK, and three in Norway.

Seizures were conducted in all countries, for a combined total of 4 tonnes of hashish, 200 kg of amphetamines, 64 kg of cocaine, 45 kg of MDMA, and 25 kg of heroin. As an expansion of the Eurojust case, 50 suspects were charged in Norway.

In 2017, the number of violent activities, including shootings, increased in Oslo. The Norwegian authorities initiated an investigation into an OCG, with clear links between southern countries and Nordic countries, but also involving countries in central Europe. Due to the cross-border dimension of the investigation, a Eurojust case was opened in September 2018, which targeted the alleged Moroccan and Dutch main suspects, including Dutch trucking and transport firms.
A Norwegian court recently sentenced one of the main suspects to 19 years’ imprisonment and confiscated more than EUR 4.5 million.

A Danish court recently sentenced two suspects to two and six years’ confinement, respectively.

A German court recently sentenced one perpretrator to eight years’ imprisonment for the possession of illicit drugs.

Gang of son-in-law Klaas Otto was behind a deadly drug lab
In the investigation into a large drug gang, which is supposed to be behind a Belgian drug lab where three young lab technicians were killed in January, the police arrested four suspects again. During new police actions in Tiel, Culemborg and Geffen, men of 37, 38, 59 and 62 years were arrested this morning.

Hessel de Ree 10-12-19, 09:34 Last update: 11:32

The criminal network, which also includes the son-in-law of No Surrender founder Klaas Otto, produces synthetic drugs on a large scale. According to the police, the gang, of which sixteen suspects have now been arrested, is also behind an amphetamine lab that was rolled up in Esch in Brabant in July.

That lab, with a large 1,000-liter production boiler, was hidden in a basement of a home. The same month the police in Rilland in Zeeland discovered a storage of drug chemicals, laboratory equipment and residues of MDMA, the active substance in XTC.

Early this morning the police invaded four houses and garage companies. The detective had actually wanted to arrest the suspects here at the end of last month, along with the arrest of a group of four suspects around Paul G. (35) in Bergen op Zoom. But the police did not have enough capacity at the time.

G. is the son-in-law of Klaas Otto and is said to be one of the people who pulled the strings in the criminal network. According to his lawyer, he denies any involvement. In the investigation into Bergenaar, the investigation also raided jewelers in Belgium. This is related to the suspicion that, among others, G. drug money would be laundering through the purchase and sale of expensive watches.

Drama
The police suspect most suspects of involvement in the large-scale production of synthetic drugs such as amphetamine and xtc. The suspects are supposed to be behind at least three drug labs. Four people were arrested at the end of November, including G. and men in Steenbergen, Renesse and Almere. At that time there were searches at nine addresses.

After the drama in the lab in Hechtel-Exel, in which three young drug researchers were killed in January, the police already arrested five suspects. A 22-, 23- and 25-year-old from Eindhoven died in the laboratory. Probably due to carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of a defect or an incorrect action.

Tenacious
It is unclear whether the police themselves also have an eye on Otto in this case. The man has been in jail for more than two years and is waiting for his appeal. He was sentenced to six years in prison for money laundering, extortion, assault and threats.

It is clear that after his conviction, Otto's family and entourage have received a great deal of attention from the judiciary and the police. They have been very persistent in the persecution of Otto himself in recent years. The police and the judiciary see him as one of the most powerful criminals in the South of the Netherlands, but according to the man from Bergen op Zoom, they are completely wrong and he is the victim of a crackdown on justice.

https://www.ad.nl/binnenland/bende-schoonzoon-klaas-otto-zat-achter-dodelijk-drugslab~a770975c/

Operation Alfa resumed: new arrests at caravan camp in Oss
Arrests were made again on Tuesday caravan camp on Hoogheuvelstraat in Oss in the context of Operation Alfa.

Iris van den Berg Dec. 10 2019 Last update: 12:16 Source: Brabants Dagblad

According to the police, there are multiple arrests, including at the camp on Hoogheuvelstraat in Oss. The number of people arrested is not yet known.

Police are currently present in and around the home of Martien R., the previously arrested leader of a criminal family in Oss, in the Koolzaadweg in Berghem . That building has been searched once before.

Arrests during Operation Alfa
Operation Alfa began on 13 November with a raid on the caravan camp in Oss and the arrests of Martien R. (48), his brother Toon (55) and his son Anton (26). Arrests will be made again on Monday 25 November. A total of four men are arrested in Den Bosch, Helmond and Oss. According to the police, they are four leaders from the same criminal organization as the R. family from Oss. The police don't want to say if it's family.

www.bd.nl/oss-e-o/operatie-alfa-hervat-nieuwe-aanhoudingen-op-woonwagenkamp-in-oss~ad857f38/

Why the Mexicans choose the Netherlands?

Andy Kraag, head of the national criminal investigation department: "On average three thousand drug-related murders are committed in Mexico every month. Due to the enormous corruption, the cartels have free rein. The production of crystal meth is limitless and now much higher than the demand from the most important market, the United States. The Mexican drug cartels are looking for a new market. Europe is one of those markets, alongside New Zealand and Australia. "

The Telegraaf revealed earlier this year that Mexican 'meth chefs' had been arrested for the first time in an ongoing drug investigation. That is the name of the men who produce synthetic drugs in labs. Sometimes under dire circumstances. "This year we picked up Mexicans in three investigations. It may well be a kind of 'freelancer', but they are related to the Mexican cartels, "says Kraag.

Cooperation with cartels
The chief of the national criminal investigation department is convinced of the close cooperation between mainly Brabant criminal organizations and Mexican cartels. "The Mexican chefs do not come here on their own. There are alliances. They don't tell the police anything. The conditions for production are favorable here. Labs can easily switch from other synthetic drugs to crystal meth. The lines for the supply of raw materials already exist, the hardware for production is already there and if you get caught here, the penalties are relatively low. ”

"The conditions for production are favorable here."
But how does a Brabant pills farmer (ecstasy producer) come into contact with a chef from, for example, the Sinaloa or El Chapo cartel? "That is fairly easy. Sometimes parties already know each other from a drug environment, sometimes it goes through. Then there is a physical meeting once and then everything goes through encryption telephones. For example, criminals from Brabant came into contact with criminals in Australia and set up a good line for the MDMA drug. ”

Dangerous and lucrative
This investigation resulted in a series of arrests in both countries this fall and the capture of amounts of MDMA worth many millions of euros. "But the Australians are much more concerned about crystal meth. The drug is considerably more dangerous and is gaining popularity. Crystal meth delivers ten times as much there and here as MDMA or XTC. ”

The Netherlands is mainly a production country, but sometimes also transit country for crystal meth or 'ice', as it is also called. In June the criminal investigation department discovered 2500 kilos of meth in a Rotterdam warehouse with a staggering street value of several hundred million euros. The party was probably destined for another country, such as Australia.

Here we go again. Today was a trial day against the Taghi Group surrounded by huge security.

A man was shot dead today around 5.15 pm at the parking lot of Health City gym in Amstelveen, near Amsterdam. According to insiders, it would be an assassination. According to a source, the victim was driving an armored BMW. His identity is not yet known, he had a child in the car. The police were looking for a Volkswagen Transporter of an old model with blinded rear windows shortly after the shooting.

Not much later a burnt-out car was found by the police on the Buitensingel in Duivendrecht. The area has been dismissed by the police as a crime scene.

A well-informed source reports that the victim in Amstelveen is Rachid K. (39), known as the former bookkeeper of druglord Samir 'Scarface' Bouyakhrichan who was shot dead in Marbella five years ago. Rachid was only recently back in the Netherlands, he had recently lived in Morocco.

RIDOUAN TAGHI ARRESTED IN DUBAI!

Ridouan Taghi, alleged 'Angels of Death' boss, arrested in Dubai
Police say 41-year-old, one of the most wanted men in the Netherlands, entered the UAE using a fake identity last year.

6 hours ago
Dutch officials speak to the press after the announcement of the arrest of Ridouan Taghi [Jeroen Jumelet/AFP]

A man described as one of the most wanted criminals in the Netherlands has been arrested in Dubai, according to authorities.

Ridouan Taghi, the alleged head of a cocaine-trafficking gang known as "Angels of Death", was detained after a joint operation that involved local police, Dutch authorities and the Interpol, the state-run Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Monday.

Moroccan-born Taghi, 41, was wanted on international arrest warrants for murder and drug trafficking. The organisation he allegedly runs was linked to nine assassinations and a number of failed murder attempts, according to Dutch media.

WAM said an arrest warrant had been issued for Taghi last year after he allegedly entered the United Arab Emirates using a fake identity.

"After receiving a request from the authorities, a team from the Dubai Police carried out an investigation and arrested Tagh[i] from his accommodation in Dubai," WAM's report said.

Dutch police chief Erik Akerboom said Taghi's arrest was of "great importance for the Netherlands" and followed cooperation between the two countries.

Taghi hit the headlines in September when a Dutch lawyer for a state witness in a case against him was shot dead near his home in Amsterdam.

The killing of lawyer Derk Wiersum, a father of two, increased pressure mounted on Dutch authorities to act. Police in the Netherlands had offered a reward of 100,000 euros ($111,500) for information leading to Taghi's arrest.

Wiersum was the lawyer for a state witness named Nabil B in a huge case against Taghi and another suspect wanted on similar charges, Said Razzouki.

At the time, one of the main Dutch police unions said that the lawyer's shooting was "confirmation that we live in a narco-state".

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later...

The police made five other arrests in Amsterdam, Huis ter Heide, Utrecht and Vianen on Monday evening in addition to the arrest of the sister of the criminal Ridouan Taghi. According to the national police unit, these are people who would belong to the organization of Taghi.

It was announced on Monday evening that one of Taghi's sisters was arrested in Vianen in the area where Taghi grew up. Police and OM see an important role for the Taghi family who were arrested in Dubai on Monday morning.

Two of his sisters have been interrogated by the police before. Two brothers are in prison in Morocco. And earlier this month, Taghi's cousin was also arrested in the investigation into the murder of lawyer Derk Wiersum. The family members would mainly form a link between Taghi and the perpetrators of crime.

Following Monday's arrest of Taghi in Dubai, a total of eight house searches were made and six suspects arrested. In addition to Taghi's sister, there are five men between the ages of 29 and 45. The searches were in Amsterdam, Huis ter Heide, Utrecht and Vianen. The suspects have been arrested for money laundering, possession of weapons and possession of drugs.

Detective chief Andy Kraag of the national investigation said on Monday that with the arrest of Taghi the operation against the top criminal is far from over. "We're going to dismantle the entire organization," Kraag said yesterday.

Yep the Americans (DEA) also played a role in this. There are fears we will now see a powerstruggle similar to when Rizzuto and El Chapo went away.

I don't think this will happen. Taghi was probably just one-of-the-many. Only LE was focusing on him because they connected a lot of brazen actions to his name.
There's plenty of big fish operating behind the scenes on who Taghi's actions didn't have any effect and they will just carry on operating like they did - until of course LE finds another big target to hit.

On Monday there was also a pro forma session against Rico.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, Rico the Chilean, Ridouan Taghi, who was arrested Monday in Dubai, and Camorra boss Rafaele Imperiale, together formed the leadership of a globally operating criminal network that commissioned murders, imported cocaine and millions of money laundered.

The file on the investigation into the alleged criminal organization of Rico is almost complete. In a pro forma session on Monday the Public Prosecution Service gave a broad insight into the suspicions against the Dutch Chilean Richard "Rico" R. (46). The trial could start in June 2020.

According to the OM, many people worked together in the criminal organization who do not all know each other. The network is said to be composed of several smaller networks.

Police chief Dubai: Taghi was anxiously hiding in a luxury villa
NEWS HOUR
Ridouan Taghi had entrenched himself in a villa in a new-build district of Dubai. He rarely left the house and took precautions to stay invisible. That tells police chief Jamal Al Jallaf who was involved in the arrest of the criminal, in conversation with Nieuwsuur . "Taghi was careful, very careful."

"The curtains of the house were always closed, no light came out. You could not see from outside if there was someone inside. You could not see if anyone went in or out," says Al Jallaf. . "Taghi wanted to prevent it from being seen if anyone was in the house."

The criminal also had no contact with official authorities. "He was helped by friends or acquaintances." Those contacts ultimately played a role in his discovery, the police chief says. "We were able to connect information about the people who helped him to each other. This confirmed his presence in the house."

"Then a plan was set up for the arrest and we entered the villa. We found him there." Taghi did not object to the arrest, police chief says. "He immediately surrendered." In addition to Taghi, a woman was also arrested. "She has an Asian nationality and is seen as a friend of Taghi."

There have been suspicions for a long time that Taghi was in Dubai. According to Al Allaf, he previously traveled between different countries in the region. "He came to Dubai in 2016. Taghi came in on an official Dutch passport, but in the name of someone else. He did not enter the country on the surname Taghi."

"Successful extradition to the Netherlands"
According to Al Jallaf, the criminal will be extradited to the Netherlands. "I don't know how long it will take. But if all legal proceedings here have been completed through the prosecutor, in collaboration with the Dutch police, then Taghi will be extradited to the Netherlands."

Yesterday, the arrest of Taghi was announced. The result of an "intensive cooperation" between the Dutch police and the emirate. Although the police chief is not formally concerned, he sees no problems for a successful extradition. "When everything is completed, it will be delivered as quickly as possible."

According to him, there are no extradition requests from other countries. "We have not received anything from any other country." That is relevant because Taghi is also wanted by Morocco because of a 'mistaken murder' in Marrakesh. Morocco, unlike the Netherlands, does have an extradition treaty with Dubai.

News hour is moving: from 2 January our TV broadcast will start at 9.30 pm on NPO 2.

"Well-oiled killing machine"
Ridouan Taghi is the prime suspect in the so-called Marengo trial, which deals with five murders and several liquidation attempts. Nabil B., who made incriminating statements about Taghi and his organization before the winding-up process.

The Public Prosecution Service described Taghi's criminal group and his right-hand man Said Razzouki as "a well-oiled murder organization". Dozens of people still receive security because of the threat from his group. With the arrest of Taghi, that threat is probably not over.

https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur/artikel/23...angstvallig-verborgen-in-luxe-villa.html

'Possible attack thwarted in Arnhem prison'
By JOHN VAN DEN HEUVEL AND MICK VAN WELY
Updated 2 hours ago
Today, 19:32 in INTERIOR

ARNHEM - Special units of police, justice and the prison system have started a large-scale search in the prison in Arnhem this evening to prevent the liquidation of a prisoner.
Search teams of a total of 150 investigators searched cells and searched prisoners. A targeted search was made for data carriers such as smartphones.
The immediate reason for the action is information about a possible attack within the walls of the Arnhem penitentiary institution. The assassination attempt would be carried out because of a fight within the criminal milieu.
Rare situation
Inspection dogs were also used during the inspections. Large-scale searches are more common, but rarely because of indications that prisoners want to kill each other. Justice did not want to make any further announcements about the results of the search tonight.

The authorities in Dubai deported Ridouan Taghi to the Netherlands during the night. Taghi is now being held in the most secure prison facility in the country, the EBI located in Vught, Noord-Brabant. The next hearing in the Marengo process is scheduled for February.

About fifty murders at home and abroad, the same number of suspects waiting in a cell for trial and at least four hundred years in prison with the ultimate punishment prison for life and the death penalty. That is roughly the balance of eight years of war within the 'Mocro Mafia'.

Is the Netherlands becoming a narco-state?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50821542

Very good article thanks my man.

In Zwolle, 52-year-old Henk W. was shot dead on New Year's Eve. The man was an acquaintance in the criminal environment. The perpetrator was not arrested. It was the fifth shooting in Zwolle in four months. Henk W. was an alleged leader of a criminal group dealing in arms and drugs. The court in Zwolle ruled in May of last year that he could await the substantive treatment of his case after one year in custody. The case would be dealt with in substance by mid-2020.

This has never happened here before, the guys have succeeded there won't be many turncoats in the near future.

Nabil B., the key witness in the Marengo liquidation process against a group of sixteen men around prime suspect Ridouan Taghi, has two new lawyers. For security reasons, the two counselors will assist Nabil B. anonymously, NRC reports.

That their identity is protected is done at the express request of the two counselors. The Amsterdam Bar Association has decided to support the two lawyers in this and has checked their identity. On December 23, the order confirmed in a letter to the examining magistrate that the two advisers of B. are registered as lawyers. This guarantees that Nabil B. can be assisted by two new lawyers.

Derk Wiersum
B.'s lawyer, Derk Wiersum, was shot dead in Amsterdam in September. Then there were some lawyers who wanted to assist the crown witness anonymously, but they stopped for security reasons.

The police arrested the 38-year-old Abderrahim B. in Nijmegen on Friday afternoon. The Moroccan Dutchman escaped two weeks ago from prison in Turnhout, Belgium. Three men were arrested fairly soon after their escape attempt because they jumped from a 6 meter high wall, causing bruises. The other two, including Abderrahim B., had ropes with which they dropped. They were probably picked up by a flight car.

Drugs
Abderrahim B. was hiding in Nijmegen, where he hid himself on the loft of a house during Christmas and New Year. There he was arrested this morning by the Fugitive Active Search Team of the police. The man has been sentenced in Belgium to 4.5 years in prison for theft and drug offenses and has to sit for more than 4 years. FastNL tracked down the man through information obtained from their Belgian colleagues.

Blind spot
The escape in Turnhout led to frowns because he was relatively simple. The men managed to climb unseen on a wall in the blind spot of a security camera. Then they cut a 10,000-volt power cord (they had put socks on their hands to protect against electric shock) and lowered themselves down a rope on the other side of the wall.

Helicopter
One of the co-escapees, the Moroccan Oualid S. is still on the run. He served a sentence for a shooting and threatened to be extradited to Morocco, which was probably the reason for his escape. His brother, Ashraf S., escaped spectacularly from the prison of Bruges in 2009. He ran after a hijacked helicopter had landed in the courtyard.

Chinese people are behind assassination Moon Tong Choi in Rotterdam in October 2018, according to the Public Prosecution Service. The police think that the two Chinese Jin X. (31) and Sun L. (29) had come specifically from China to have the murder carried out.
Moon Tong Choi (64) was in his car when he was shot in in Rotterdam-Kralingen. Choi was known by the police in connection with the trade in synthetic drugs and raw materials for the production of drugs.

The 46-year-old man without permanent residence or residence who was shot dead in Rotterdam South on March 20, 2019, is Dominican Daniel Arias. A 24-year-old from Rotterdam is detained for the manslaughter of Arias.
According to sources, the victim was a man with a Spanish passport born in the Dominican Republic. That now appears to be Arias. Witnesses spoke of a "cold-blooded settlement."

Three men arrested in Martien R. case

OSS - The police in East Brabant arrested suspects again on Tuesday in the investigation into the 'crime plan' around Martien R. from Oss. It concerns three men aged 24, 53 and 75 from Oss and Berghem.

The men are suspected of membership of a criminal organization and possession of firearms. The 24-year-old man from Oss is suspected of money laundering. His 53-year-old fellow citizen was involved in the import of 315 kilos of cocaine, according to the justice department.

Brabant criminals form impenetrable bastions for the police

Alfa investigation into the infamous R. family is becoming increasingly extensive. Since the beginning of November, fifteen suspects have been arrested, seven of whom are members of the R. family. The leaders are the father and son R. They are suspected of running a criminal organization, large-scale drug trafficking and possession of weapons. The three that were arrested on Tuesday do not belong to the R. family, but are confidants according to the Public Prosecution Service.

Police and Public Prosecution Service is still looking for a suspect who was not found on 21 November in Lith and Sumar, where he might stay that day. This is also a member of the R. family.

At the prison in Zutphen, Gelderland, henchmen tried to free Omar Lkhorf, who is serving a life sentence, on Sunday afternoon . That failed. Four men have been arrested who may be involved in the escape attempt.
The police arrested four men on Sunday afternoon after a wild chase on the N813 near Wehl in Gelderland. A warning shot was released.
It is unclear how the men wanted to free Lkhorf. "We are currently investigating this and we cannot make any announcements," said the police spokesperson.
On the grounds of the prison in Zutphen, a van was on fire around 10.50 on Sunday morning. After the outbreak of the fire, heavily armed agents with bullet-proof vests immediately walked around.
The ministry spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice and Security could not tell how the burning van near the prison in Zutphen was part of the escape attempt.
Lkhorf is linked to the group around Benaouf A., who in vain tried to escape by helicopter from the prison in Roermond in 2017. The Amsterdam criminal was rushed early last year from the prison in Krimpen aan den IJssel to that in Zutphen because there were plans to kill him within the prison walls.
According to current legislation, prisoners trying to escape are not punishable. The government believes that this cannot be explained and is working on a legislative amendment that will make it possible to punish these detainees.

Amsterdam criminal Khalid J. arrested in Dubai
The Amsterdam criminal Khalid J. (35) has been arrested in Dubai according to reliable sources. He has been linked to underworld murders for years. Justice accuses him of being a member of a criminal organization led by Rico the Chilean.
Khalid J., from Amsterdam-Zuid, is being prosecuted in a large process in which ten mostly notorious Amsterdam criminals will stand trial for involvement in the murder command. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) says it does not want to say anything about the arrest, but does not deny it. The group known as the Gwenette Martha heirs was more or less continued under the leadership of Rico. J. was with a group of other criminals in Panama City in December 2014 when Khalid Jaafar was shot dead outside a nightclub. On Sunday afternoon the OM tweeted that in the morning "a 35-year-old man who was deported by the United Arab Emirates was arrested at Schiphol".

To free Omar they rammed the door of the prison with the van this failed. Omar was moved with helicopter to high security prison in Vught. The four henchmen are French nationals from the Paris area.

'Top criminal Dino Soerel makes attempt to break out of prison'
Top criminal Dino Soerel, who is serving a life sentence, has made an outbreak attempt tonight. Together with another prisoner, he tried to escape from the Heerhugowaard prison. De Telegraaf reports that.

The Ministry of Justice and Security confirms that there were "suspicions of an outbreak attempt," but refrains from commenting further. What the outbreak attempt looked like and how it came to an end is unclear. According to De Telegraaf , Soerel has since been transferred to the Extra Secure Institution in Vught.

Taghi's right hand Said Razzouki arrested in Colombia!