The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has demanded a prison sentence of 32 months against a 29-year-old man from Amsterdam who is suspected of criminal underground banking. The man has already repaid 150,000 euros in unlawfully obtained benefits to the state. According to the OM, he played a coordinating role in moving approximately 16 million euros in crime money. The OM and the defense have made procedural agreements.
The investigation by the National Unit for Detection and Interventions was initiated under the leadership of the National Prosecutors Office based on information from the Criminal Intelligence Team (TCI) of the police. From tapped phone conversations, police observations, and a seized digital administration, it quickly becomes clear that the suspect has been involved in large-scale underground banking.
Crypto currency
According to the public prosecutor, he has moved both large amounts of physical cash and cryptocurrency. The total amount amounts to about 16 million euros, dollars, and USDT between August 2018 and early November 2024. The money flows mainly took place between the Netherlands and Suriname.
Cash and Rolex
At his arrest on November 5, 2024, the police seized approximately 50,000 euros in cash, as well as a digital wallet containing more than 235,000 USDT. The police also seized a valuable watch (Rolex) and a car from the suspect. The investigation has not revealed any legal source for the wealth.
“Drug transactions and executions are often financed through underground banking via a global network. Criminal underground banking is essential for the functioning of organized crime and therefore a priority for the police and the OM,” said the public prosecutor.
Procedural agreements
The OM believes that making procedural agreements contributes to an efficient and effective resolution of criminal cases. This way, unlawfully obtained benefits can also be confiscated that the police and justice would otherwise not have been able to access. It has been agreed that the public prosecutor will lower the sentence demand and that the lawyer will not contest the evidence or appeal. The court always has the final word.
In this case, the court made an immediate ruling and imposed the agreed 32-month prison sentence.