Two taxi drivers who worked for a controversial taxi company in Tilburg were convicted by the court in Breda on Tuesday for possessing and trafficking in drugs. A 48-year-old man from Tilburg received an unconditional prison sentence of 32 months. He must also pay a fine of 50,000 euros. A 49-year-old from Breda was given a community service order of 240 hours and a suspended prison sentence of 180 days.
The statements correspond with the trial agreements that the Public Prosecution Service had made with the suspects and their lawyers. These agreements were submitted on Tuesday, before the start of the substantive hearing.
‘A surprising number of short journeys’
The drug practices came to light last year. The Criminal Intelligence Team, which secretly collects data on serious crimes with the help of informants, gets wind of it. The male suspect allegedly sold drugs as a taxi driver. Observations show that he makes a striking number of short trips with his customers, presumably these are times when transactions take place. An observer also sees that the suspect pushes something into a mailbox several times during his work.
In telephone taps, the suspect talks about bags, grams, quantities, transfers and locations. It then also turns out that he is working with the female suspect, a colleague at the same company. The suspect directs her to deliver narcotics.
‘Not the first time’
Investigation has shown that the man had been dealing in drugs for a year from November 20, 2019. During that period he frequently sold cocaine to a large number of customers. The woman was active as a courier from December 16, 2023 to November 19, 2024. The two were arrested last year.
The police also announced that their employer ‘has been the subject of investigation by the police and the municipality for some time now.’ According to her, this is not the first time that the company has come into contact with the police and the judiciary.
There is sufficient evidence for the Public Prosecution Service that both suspects committed the criminal offenses. The court agreed, meaning the pair could be sentenced on Tuesday.
The police and the municipality would still investigate whether the taxi company itself is used to launder drug money and whether the taxi license is valid. It is not known whether these studies have yielded any results.
