The Public Prosecution Service has demanded prison sentences of 6 and 5 years for two men for international cocaine trafficking and money laundering. According to the prosecutor from the National Prosecutors Office, there is no doubt that the suspects are nothing but professional criminals. One of them remained completely silent; the other gave an unlikely account to the police, said the prosecutor.
Up until their arrest in 2023, they were determined in their criminal activities, according to the prosecutor. Thousands of intercepted Sky chats “clearly show that they are deeply involved in the international cocaine trade.”
The men, aged 50 and 40 from The Hague and Westervoort, faced charges for importing and trading in significant amounts of cocaine, totaling dozens of kilos within a month in 2020. According to the Public Prosecution Service, this is just the tip of the iceberg. “These are not just incidents. These suspects regularly engaged in organized crime purely for their own financial gain.” One of the suspects also had a coordinating role in meetings in South America regarding international cocaine trade.
Underground banking
Both suspects also faced charges for laundering hundreds of thousands of euros. Their only source of income was the illegal trade in narcotics, as evidenced by the criminal file. In the case against the man from Westervoort, there is mention of criminal underground banking, according to the prosecutor. His role was primarily to set up, coordinate, and execute the transactions. Between June and October 2023, he allegedly laundered over a million euros through underground banking with cash transactions in Dublin, Malaga, and Alicante.
The underground network used by the suspect operated extremely professionally. “Large amounts of cash were transferred internationally in public places. Tokens were also used, and high commissions were charged that are unusual in legal (bank) transactions. All characteristics and indications of criminal underground banking.” The transfers were practically carried out by (local) couriers.
Devastating consequences
The prosecutor reminded the court that the file shows fragments of “a much larger and ongoing story of drug trafficking, which shows how deeply these suspects are entangled in the world of organized crime.” He once again pointed out to the court the “devastating societal consequences that large-scale cocaine trafficking entails.” “The suspects have consciously accepted all of this, solely to increase their own financial benefit.”
The court will make its ruling on February 28.