Peter S. (60) was the boss of a drug gang in Eersel, the police and the judiciary think. The crime organization had a turnover of millions. For example, the police intercepted a message that S. rented a private plane for his wife for almost a ton. At the start of his trial on Monday, ‘Peerke’ used his right to remain silent.
Police hacked into the Encrochat telephone service in the spring of 2020 and intercepted multiple chat messages from an unknown crime organization working to set up drug labs and the associated drug trade:
- export of 106 kilos of coke to the United Kingdom,
- the import of 840 kilos of hashish from the Czech Republic,
- possession of 50,000 ecstasy pills, meth and kilos of ketamine.
The track led to the Kempen. Peter S. (60) came into the picture, an old acquaintance. He would have used cryptophones from Encrochat, SkyECC and Anom. Co-defendants had saved his telephone number under the name ‘Ouwe’ or ‘Peer’. The detective also discovered that he lived comfortably.
Aeroplane
In the spring of 2020, Peter and his wife spent a few months on the tropical island group of the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. Peter S.’s mother-in-law died and his wife had to return home quickly. Peter rented a private jet. Costs: 97,000 euros.
Other suspects also scattered private information in the chats. The police also found criminal accounts and drug deals among the family photos, snapshots of driveways, fences and cars. Congratulations and condolences were also shared. This allowed the detectives to figure out who was behind those accounts. Often this was done simply via Google Maps.
‘ecstasy baron’
On November 30, 2021, raids followed in 14 places. Storage sites with thousands of liters of chemicals and boilers for drug labs were found in Bladel and Eersel. Twelve suspects were handcuffed, including main suspect Peter S., also known as Peerke. He was already in jail for something else and would be released the next day.
Peter S. has been convicted more often for drug cases, such as for smuggling millions of ecstasy pills to Germany. Twenty years ago, the police saw him as an ecstasy baron, one of the greatest in the world in fact. In 2010, his house on the Boutenslaan in Eindhoven was shot at. A few years later, the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee caught him at Schiphol with 180,000 euros in his pants.
‘nonsense’
De Eerselnaar had remained in his cell in Sittard on Monday and appeared on a video link later in the morning. He said that there was not enough bread in the court, the previous times. The prosecutors thought that was a ‘foolish reason’. S. later promised that he would come on Tuesday. He said he does not want to comment on all the allegations yet.
Lawyers also emphasize in this case that hacked chats may not be used as evidence. That affects privacy. In addition, the messages were captured in an international operation that is partly a French state secret, which also raises many questions. They see this as not a fair trial. The lawyers asked for a postponement until the Supreme Court has decided whether this is admissible, but the court did not agree.
Sentencing is expected on Tuesday. The mega business lasts ten days.
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