The arrest of two Dutch leaders in Colombia at the beginning of this year put the police on the trail of numerous criminal groups. During the investigation into international cocaine trafficking, the investigative services came across gangs involved in kidnappings in the underworld and the brutal extortion of men on the sex advertising site Kinky.nl.
Chiel Timmermansand Yelle Tieleman
In a few months, 26 suspects were arrested. The police launched a total of ten different investigations into, among other things, drug trafficking, assault, money laundering and threats.
It all started with the arrest of two Dutch nationals in Colombia – ‘Baco’ and ‘Zion’ – in February. A year earlier, the police received very concrete information about the two people in their forties. The duo would act as middlemen, a kind of coke brokers. The two formed the crucial link between European drug gangs and the cartels in Colombia.
The men, who have both lived in Colombia for years, are said to have been involved in numerous transports of hundreds of kilos of cocaine each. The drugs were sent to Europe via Ecuador, hidden among the fruit. The two Dutchmen worked for various criminal groups.
During the investigation, the National Investigation and Intervention Unit also gained insight into all these gangs through the two leaders. It led to more than ten new investigations into, among other things, drug trafficking, abuse, money laundering and threats.
Kidnappings and Kinky.nl
One of the investigations revolves around kidnappings within the underworld. Intercepted communications allegedly showed that various plans for kidnappings were being made. In at least one case, serious preparations were made for this. After the theft of a batch of coke, the wife of a target had to be taken away. The kidnapping ultimately fell through.
Perhaps the most shocking sub-investigation is that into large-scale extortion via Kinky.nl. Hundreds of men thought they would make an appointment with a sex worker via the advertising site, but ended up in a nightmare. These were fake advertisements that were driven by scammers.
The result? The men were extorted. The criminals threatened severe violence and a visit to their home address. The police suspect that the criminal group has stolen at least 100,000 euros because victims transferred money under pressure.
26 suspects and 36 searches
In yet another investigation, the police arrested suspects from a drug network from the Rotterdam and The Hague region. In Maassluis, the police came across 354 kilos of amphetamine in December of last year. In the same investigation, 190 kilos of cocaine were later seized in Spain.
A total of 26 suspects were arrested in the various investigations and 36 searches took place in the Netherlands, Colombia and Spain. The research shows the influence of Dutch criminals within the international drug trade. The Dutch police can only intervene in this through cooperation with other countries.
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