Involvement in the import of a huge amount of heroin, between cans of tomato paste, men from Veghel and Berghem should face prison sentences of 8.5 and 11.5 years in prison. They would also have to pay back almost 23 million euros, which they have earned from this drug trade. Furthermore, they should be fined 40,000 and 60,000 euros. The public prosecutor at the Limburg District Court in Roermond came to this conclusion.
According to the Public Prosecution Service (OM), the suspects from Veghel (57) and Berghem (49) had a large share in six transports in which heroin was hidden. The stuff was transported between August 2013 and February 2014 between, among other things, cans of tomato paste from Iran to our country. Customs investigations revealed, among other things, a load of more than 3,600 kilos of heroin. It was then considered the largest batch of heroin ever intercepted in our country.
Driver did not trust business
The narcotics were discovered during a check in Venlo. Customs had launched an investigation after one of the drivers of the trucks where the heroin was eventually found reported that he did not trust the matter. He had never before transported tomato paste from Iran to our country in his 25-year career. In addition, the driver was able to tell customs that about 70 percent of shipments from Iran consist of narcotics and that transport by land is much more expensive than by sea.
The men from Veghel and Berghem would also have had a hand in an arson attack in the Sinema restaurant in Eindhoven in September 2014. That fire was two days after insurance was taken out for this business on Dommelstraat. In addition, the two are accused of obtaining a mortgage on false information. Finally, the man from Veghel was charged with his involvement in a hemp farm and the theft of electricity for that farm.
‘Reasonable term exceeded’
The sentences demanded were lower than what the Public Prosecution Service actually intended. That’s because the case has been going on for so long. In such cases, in the event of a so-called exceeding of the reasonable term, demands and rulings are relatively lower.
The trial against three other suspects in this case was already in November. At that time, 2.5 years in prison were demanded against men aged 40 and 41 from Veldhoven and Eindhoven. A woman from Veghel (56) should receive a community service order of 120 hours and a fine of 10,000 euros. All rulings in this case will be made on February 15.
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