The environment does not file complaints. Therefore, it is up to us to actively track down and prosecute those who harm the environment, said Arnold Posthuma, head of the Intelligence and Investigation Service of the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT-IOD) in the annual report. Environmental crime is always committed to gain financially from it. Therefore, all criminal investigations focus on seizing criminally obtained assets.
The ILT-IOD is the specialized environmental investigation service of the Netherlands. The ILT-IOD focuses on organized crime with often (international) financial structures and trade flows. In the annual report, the investigation service accounts for 2024. The Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management, under which the ILT-IOD falls, sends the annual report to the States General.
Arnold Posthuma, Head ILT-IOD:
When you wake up in the morning, you don’t think: oh, I’m going to pollute the environment today. No, people mainly want to make quick and easy money. At the expense of peoples health. And a lot of money is made with environmental crime. Especially with waste. The same profit margins are achieved as with drugs, only the risk of getting caught is much smaller. For criminals, plastic waste is an interesting business model. Money can easily be made in a criminal way during the intake, processing, and disposal of waste. Environmental crime is a silent killer. People get sick and die earlier because of this criminal behavior. It helps us if people report anything they have heard or seen. That can certainly be done anonymously.
Results for 2024
By the end of 2024, more than 20 criminal investigations were ongoing at the ILT-IOD. In 2024, a total of 24 criminal investigations were completed. In addition, the ILT-IOD, in collaboration with the police and environmental services, is conducting 2 large-scale long-term criminal investigations into serious environmental crime. These require a lot of capacity. These are the investigation into DuPont/Chemours and the investigation into Tata Steel.
In 2024, the ILT-IOD seized approximately € 35 million in criminally obtained assets. Last year, 115 reports of criminal activities were received. Mainly regarding potential environmental damage in the areas of waste, soil, and very concerning substances.
To make the work visible, the ILT-IOD, in collaboration with partners, has released the Threat Assessment Environmental Crime to explain which criminal methods are used with plastic waste. The Netherlands plays a significant role in the global trade of plastic waste.
Reporting
Everyone can actively contribute to our living environment by reporting suspicious situations. Whether it is a formal complaint or anonymously sharing confidential information with the criminal intelligence team, every contribution is crucial to address this injustice.
070-456 6523 or Iod.infodesk@ilent.nl
Anonymous reports can be made via the Criminal Intelligence Team (TCI) at 070-456 4577.