The court in Den Bosch Alex S. sentenced Tuesday to 3.5 years in prison for, among other things, selling suicide drug X, which at least ten people used to end their lives. The sentence is suspended for one and a half years. The Public Prosecutor had demanded four years. A factor in the sentence was that Alex S. was less responsible: he is autistic and suffers from other psychological disorders, and it is therefore more difficult for him to abandon his ideas.
According to the court, S. “made postal packages in a commercial manner” containing the necessary resources for suicide. Between 2018 and 2021, he sold the packages to about 1,600 people. He “treated the lives of others very lightly and damaged the value of human life in general.”
It is unclear how many buyers have used the drug supplied by Alex S.. According to the court, it is clear that due to S.’s secret trade, “a large amount of deadly substance is present in society”, and that “no supervision or control of its use is possible”. As a result, the court is forced to impose the maximum sentence of four years, minus the reduced sentence.
The judge said that S. was protesting against the government with the sale of the suicide drug, which, according to him, unjustly restricts self-determination of citizens. As part of that philosophy, S. did not ask any questions or conditions when selling the suicide drugs.
Large packages of substance X (available at some wholesalers) were found in S.’s apartment, as well as machines to close the suicide packages.
Read also Alex S. bought buckets of the fatal ‘drug X’
Cooperative Last Will
The court sees “clear indications” that the Coöperatie Laatste Wil (CLW), an activist group that promotes self-determination at the end of life, has used Alex S. “as a convenient tool to achieve its objectives”. S. was ‘easily influenced’ by his ‘mental vulnerability’. S.’s lawyer said during the trial: “He did not want to disappoint people and did not dare to say no.” S. made some deals after ‘living room meetings’ organized by the CLW. In it, the end of life is discussed in a small circle.
Alex S. is the first person to be prosecuted for supplying the suicide drug. However, several investigations into members of the CLW are still ongoing. Some of them are themselves accused of supplying the suicide drugs.