Peter van Laerhoven, the owner of a painting company in the Loods on Hoefakkerstraat in Tilburg where the police invaded Tuesday, is not happy with the police raid. The police say on Wednesday that she has found several things that are used for the production of drugs. But according to Van Laerhoven there were no acids in the jerry cans found, but gasoline for his boat. According to him, the hydrogen gascylinders that have been seized are empty. The police do not exclude anything and are investigating the case. “I am put down as a drug criminal,” says the painter.
Together with his wife, Van Laerhoven was a day out by boat in the Biesbosch on Tuesday when the phone rang. “The police asked if I could open the roller door of the warehouse. I was not nearby so I sent my son by,” says the owner of the painting company.
He thought it was strange that the police called and asked why they wanted to go inside. “They had received a tip from abroad. If I didn’t open the door, they would go in themselves.”
The police announced on Wednesday that there was a label of Caustic Soda on the jerry cans. “That is used for the production of MDMA, but almost all of the jerry cans were empty. And because of the company that was in the shed, we chose not to take the jerry cans with us,” says a police spokesperson.
According to Van Laerhoven there was no Caustic Soda in the Jerry Cans at all. “I got these jerry cans at the car wash, washed out with soap and then fill them with gasoline in front of my boat,” he says, picking up one of the empty jerry cans.
“If they fall over, things will explode.”
The police also brought four hydrogen gascyliners from the shed, which, according to a police spokesperson, were almost empty. “You need a permit for these cylinders. There is so much pressure on the bottles. If they fall over then things will explode,” the police say.
“In addition, there was a German label on it and we have recently found several stolen cylinders in Tilburg. We are investigating where these cylinders come from,” says the spokesperson.
Van Laerhoven does not understand that he will be associated with drugs. “They were empty, but I never brought them out of laziness,” he says. In addition, according to him, the neighborhood was not closed and local residents could just watch how the police were doing.
“I am put down as a drug criminal.”
Two air conditioners were also taken by the police. “They will think that something happens with that, but that is not the case. I have nothing to do with drugs, but I am put down as a drug criminal,” says the painter irritated.
The police confirm that the extractors were not in use when they were taken. “But they are often used in the production of hemp just like some empty bins and sockets we found. In combination with the other finds, we therefore had reason to seize them,” says the spokesperson.
After the raid, the painter received many worried phone calls from customers. “You wonder who gave this tip to the police. I have no servants abroad. I have the idea that someone wants to be annoying by causing this, but I have no enemies.”
The police don’t want to say anything about the anonymous tip. Van Laerhoven has not heard from the police after the raid. In any case, he was not arrested and awaits the police investigation.
