The Public Prosecution Service demands prison sentences of up to 7 years against three individuals suspected of involvement in the importation of a large shipment of cocaine. The case revolves around a transport of over 1200 kilos, which was transferred on July 30, 2024, from Antwerp to a warehouse in Nieuwveen, South Holland.
The storage facility comes into view during another criminal investigation. The location is used for drug transport and storage; the cocaine that arrived at the end of July last year is hidden in a shipment of sweet potatoes. “This is a gigantic amount,” said the public prosecutor today in court in Almelo.
Two of the three suspects on trial today were caught red-handed when the DSI conducted a raid on the same day. They are seen as ‘porters’. These two, a 29-year-old man from The Hague and a 38-year-old man from Rotterdam, heard a sentence of four years demanded against them. The driver of a van in which the cocaine was transported, a 40-year-old man from Rotterdam, is facing a prison sentence of seven years according to the Public Prosecution Service.
In total, seven suspects must account for themselves in the criminal investigation Mais. Five individuals were caught red-handed in Nieuwveen (South Holland) during the raid. The next day, two other suspects - including the driver - were arrested for their involvement.
With the other four suspects, who appeared in court last Thursday, the Public Prosecution Service has made procedural agreements that have been submitted to the court. At that hearing, the public prosecutor presented the arguments for why, in consultation with the defense of the suspects, the Public Prosecution Service has come to those agreements: “Prolonged investigation in a hearing is avoided. The duration of the hearing is limited, but also the execution of research requests from the defense is omitted. Additionally, no appeal is filed. Procedural agreements also ensure a greater support base for the verdict from the parties involved.”
In exchange for waiving defense rights, these four suspects have been offered a ‘discount’ on the ‘normal’ sentence demand. The defense has been able to discuss a desirable outcome for them. The Public Prosecution Service: “The execution of the sentence thus encounters little delay. No confiscation procedure is initiated either.”
The Public Prosecution Service demanded at last week’s hearing - depending on the severity of the suspicions, the role within the criminal organization, and the personal circumstances of the suspects - sentences of 6 years and 3 months, against two suspects 5.5 years and for the fourth a prison sentence of 32 months (of which 16 months conditional). The Public Prosecution Service: “These suspects have waived several defense rights in exchange for a substantial discount on the demanded sentence.”
The sentences demanded today are relatively higher than the proposals made through procedural agreements. For the suspect with the heaviest suspicions on the indictment, a sentence proposal of 6 years and 3 months has been made to the court via procedural agreements. The driver - with whom no procedural agreements have been reached - heard a sentence demand of 7 years today.
