For years, he managed to stay under the radar and built a reliable status as an underground banker for criminal networks. His car garage also served as a front for an international drug network. Today, a 65-year-old suspect from the municipality of West Betuwe heard a demand for a 13-year prison sentence against him. The Public Prosecution Service suspects the man of, among other things, trafficking large quantities of cocaine to and from the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom over a period of three years (between March 2020 and March 2023).
This involves over 400 kilograms of cocaine spread over 16 transports. Intercepted chats reveal a picture of a longer collaboration in narcotics. It can be inferred from the fact that the individuals behind the SKY ECC and encrochat accounts know each other well and little communication is needed to arrange their dealings. “The suspect enjoyed great trust among the people he worked with,” said the prosecutor today in court in Arnhem.
The Public Prosecution Service on this 65-year-old suspect from West Betuwe: “In his well-secured car garage, money and drug transports were loaded into cars, hidden compartments were built in, and crypto-phones were arranged for people. Criminal meetings also took place here.”
During the raid day in March 2023, more than one million euros in cash were found in the suspects business and in the adjacent home and apartments. The West Betuwe resident is also suspected of laundering large sums of money: namely over 4.7 million euros, one million British pounds, 10 million crowns, and approximately 101 packages of cash.
A significant portion of the evidence was gathered by decrypting cryptocommunications. The prosecutor stated: “The accounts did not have a ‘fixed’ user but were used interchangeably by group members. From the content of the chat messages, it can be concluded that the criminal activities were conducted in the name of the main person, who goes by the name Boer/Farmer; this is the suspects nickname.”
Finally, the Public Prosecution Service suspects the man, along with one of the other suspects, of dealing in stolen goods. During searches at three locations, stolen car parts from 163 stolen vehicles were found, which had been stolen over the past 13 years in the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Belgium. This includes ECU (Electronic Control Units), engine blocks, navigation systems, and gearboxes.
In addition to the prison sentence, the Public Prosecution Service demands the confiscation of illegally obtained benefits of 3,195,781 euros from the main suspect in this criminal case.
A total of six suspects are on trial in this process. Among them are the girlfriend, the son-in-law, and two (former) employees of the main suspects garage. The Public Prosecution Service demanded a 7-year prison sentence against the 37-year-old woman today and sought the confiscation of 1,473,056 euros. She is suspected of complicity in money laundering and international drug trafficking.
On November 22 last year, a first substantive hearing in this case took place. The Public Prosecution Service demanded four years against a suspect for his role in the whole. He was employed as a mechanic at the main suspects business and dealt in stolen car parts. The other suspects will appear before the judge on February 10, 11, 27, and March 12.