Cars with hidden spaces. To hide money, drugs or weapons. They are popping up more and more often. In March on an industrial estate in Zevenbergen. That is also the reason why they have recently become punishable. And now the first suspects are already appearing in court. Like Thursday in Breda. The police are satisfied and speak of a ‘major blow’.
There was a wave of drug seizures at the beginning of this year in the municipality of Moerdijk. Such as in Zevenbergen on March 23, where officers kept an eye on warehouses at the Looierij and Industrieweg.
Coke
When a suspicious car drove away, officers chased it. The car with the Rotterdam driver (25) at the wheel was pulled over for inspection. In a hidden compartment under the front seats were 34 kilos of cocaine. Comes from those warehouses in Zevenbergen.
When officers raided there, they found almost a thousand kilos of coke. And 1857 kilos of hashish. Three men were also arrested, a 59-year-old man from Zevenbergen and two brothers (46 and 57) from Breda and Amsterdam.
At least seven more suspicious cars turned up, the police later even spoke of dozens of cars. Often very ordinary family cars, but with Spanish, French and German license plates. They were turned inside out and there were hidden spaces in them too.
It soon became clear that there was a workshop in Zevenbergen to adapt those cars ‘in a professional manner’, the police reported on Friday. ‘The hidden spaces were carefully built in, so they were hardly noticeable.’
In addition to drug possession, the men have been charged with a brand new article of the law: possession and construction of hidden spaces in cars. On top of the years-long sentence for drug possession, you can now receive up to four additional years in prison.
Car mechanics
The Public Prosecution Service can also aim high because the punishment is even more aggravating because some of the suspects are car mechanics. They are seen as builders of those hidden spaces.
The police are still reading the mobile phones of some suspects. This would make it clear that they have been involved in drug smuggling for years. “From mid-2022,” the prosecutor said. “As early as 2021, we found photos of vehicles with hidden spaces.”
No further details were given at Thursday’s hearing. It was the first interim session. The next one is in three months. Until then, the four men will remain in jail.
Hidden areas prohibited
The National Police sees an ‘explosive increase’ in the number of professionally installed hidden spaces in means of transport.
While there were about 150 cases ten years ago, by 2020 this had already risen to at least 600 and it only increased after that.
The police also see that the quality and finish of hidden spaces are becoming increasingly complex and that they are often unrecognizable without thorough investigation. It is hidden in the car interior, in dashboards and bodywork.
Building and possessing hidden spaces in vehicles has been punishable in the Netherlands since January 1, 2026.
‘The police are very satisfied with the discovery in Zevenbergen and believe they have made a major contribution to combating the use and installation of hidden spaces, both in the Netherlands and abroad.’ The Zeeland-West Brabant police reported this on Friday in a press release with photos of the catch.
Photo: Zeeland-West Brabant Police
