Seven years in prison and a fine of €1,250,000. A 47-year-old man, who was extradited from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the Netherlands last year, has made procedural agreements with the Public Prosecution Service (OM) in his criminal case. He is suspected of importing over 1700 kilograms of cocaine. The Amsterdam court dealt with his case on Thursday and will ultimately decide whether the procedural agreements will be adopted.
The suspect was arrested in October 2023 at the request of the Netherlands in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. Nine months later, he was extradited. Based on decrypted messages, the OM holds the man responsible for importing four large shipments of cocaine from Central America to the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. The facts are not new: three co-defendants have previously been convicted to long prison sentences.
Co-organizer
The suspect standing trial today played, according to the OM, a coordinating role in the drug transports that took place between 2015 and 2020. He communicated with others via encrypted phones about the progress and intended distribution of the “blocks”:
‘I really won’t divide 50/50 if the other group doesn’t want to, they can add a max of 40’ and; ‘And if you knew beforehand about the cocoa, why didn’t we inform Finca that the new group doesn’t want to’.
The OM sees the suspect as a co-organizer of the transports. He directed co-defendants to carry out certain tasks and was kept informed of problems and results.
Procedural Agreements
To achieve an efficient and effective resolution of criminal cases, the OM makes agreements with some suspects about how a case will be dealt with. The public prosecutor does this based on principles laid down in a so-called guideline. It amounts to the OM demanding a slightly lower prison sentence and the defense making fewer defenses. The agreements must do justice to the seriousness of the criminal offenses, and the judge always independently assesses whether there is sufficient evidence and what punishment is appropriate. The judge is therefore not bound by the agreements.
In this case, the OM demands a prison sentence of 7 years without parole, with a deduction of the time spent in pre-trial detention and extradition detention. The suspect also receives a fine of €1,250,000 that must be paid within two years.
The verdict will follow on May 8.