advertentieIt concerns a 49-year-old man from Ridderkerk, two 37-year-old men from Urk, and a 50-year-old man from Maassluis. In addition to these arrests, the police searched multiple locations, seizing tens of thousands of euros in cash and data carriers.
International Drug Trade
Information from cryptocommunication (Encrochat and SkyECC) led to the investigation, which was carried out by the Investigation Department of the Infrastructure Service of the National Expertise and Operations Unit, under the direction of the National Prosecutors Office.
The investigation revealed that the group of suspects facilitated and executed multiple drug transports from 2020 to 2024, particularly to the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. Several suspects were involved in a drug transport intercepted in Finland in 2020. Therefore, the investigation team also collaborated with the Finnish police.
English Trial
In 2020, one of the suspects arrested today was already prosecuted in England for a drug transport to the United Kingdom. He was acquitted at that time due to lack of evidence. He is now suspected of having carried out various transports outside of this English case.
With these new arrests, the police demonstrate that criminals can still be held accountable for their actions even five years later.
During the investigation, several suspects were found to be setting up a new route to the United Kingdom at that time. Because the police had this in sight, nine suspects were already arrested in the act in September 2024 during a transport of 130 kilos of cocaine and heroin, hidden in a concealed space in a camper. Last month, seven of these suspects were sentenced to long prison sentences.