Innocent shop employee had a firearm put in his mouth

The theft of a shipment of cocaine last October led to a series of serious violent incidents in and around Alphen aan den Rijn. On October 10, an innocent shop employee was even threatened with a firearm in his mouth. Pure intimidation, called the public prosecutor. Today, two suspects stood trial.

In August 2024, a shipment of 1,400 kilos of cocaine was stolen in Antwerp. After this ripdeal, the drugs were distributed in a warehouse in Oud Gastel, and part ended up in a warehouse of an Alphen entrepreneur who runs a liquor business. One of his employees was shocked to discover that one of the boxes in the warehouse contained drugs instead of liquor.

On the night of October 10, the warehouse was broken into and the stolen drugs were stolen again there. The employee was one of those blamed for this. Later that day, he was summoned by phone to come to a parking lot in Ter Aar.

Firearm

Upon arrival at the parking lot, the employee received a signal to come to a van parked there. Two men were in the van. The employee told the police how he was pushed backward into the van and had a firearm put in his mouth by the passenger of the van. Threats were made and shouted that he must give back the stuff. The suspects also knew personal details about him and his family. Afterwards, he was very upset and was put out of the van.

Police investigations revealed that a 39-year-old man from Zaandam and a 32-year-old man from Amsterdam-Duivendrecht were the ones in the van who threatened the victim. The latter was the one who put the firearm in the victims mouth. The investigation also showed that this man had access to multiple firearms, including automatic ones, and that a month later he tried to shoot an unknown person in the legs.

Extreme violence

The public prosecutor said about the threat that it was an extraordinary threat and very severe. He also pointed out to the court the numerous other incidents that took place during this period and are all linked to the stolen shipment of cocaine. The suspects are not on trial for these incidents, but it is important to know the context of the facts we discuss today. Everything shows that extreme violence is not shunned in this world and, worryingly, that perpetrators are recruited very easily.

The Public Prosecution Service demanded a prison sentence of 30 months for the man from Zaandam and 8.5 years for the man from Amsterdam-Duivendrecht. He was also suspected of attempted grievous bodily harm. The order was to shoot a person in the legs. However, this failed because the victim fled.

The court will give its verdict on January 6, 2026.