46-year-old drug suspect Joop M. from Zevenbergschen Hoek wants access to all WhatsApp messages and tapped conversations he had with an undercover agent who committed suicide last year. His lawyer submitted that request to the court in Breda on Tuesday. The officer had moved into the house next door to him.
The court previously decided to add the report that the deceased officer made to the criminal file against Joop M., although the undercover officer never signed the report. The 46-year-old suspect is suspected of having imported 1,300 kilos of cocaine through the port of Vlissingen.
According to the suspect, the report of the undercover agent does not give a good picture of the case. For example, he finds that the agent has provoked him several times, for example by making a space in the car for a weapon.
The jovial neighbor
The Public Prosecution Service wanted to investigate the role of Joop M. in several drug organizations. That is why the police decided to deploy an undercover agent, who went to live in the house next to the 46-year-old suspect and his wife.
As the jovial neighbor he often visited M. and after a while even got into a relationship with the suspect’s wife. The undercover cop was working under such pressure that he committed suicide last year. According to the investigation into the undercover operation, the officer would have received too little support.
The court will decide on Tuesday whether M. will have access to the WhatsApp messages and tapped conversations. The suspect’s wife is yet to be questioned about her role in the case.
Do you have questions about suicide? 113 Suicide Prevention Foundation: call 113 or 0800-0113 (free), or anonymously via the chat on the website 113.nl†
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