The 69-year-old owner of the site in Kiel-Windeweer where a drug lab was found last year is released under certain conditions. His health would deteriorate so much that he can await his trial in freedom.
The court in Groningen decided this on Tuesday afternoon after a third preparatory session in the trial surrounding the found drug lab at the Nieuwe Compagnie in Kiel-Windeweer, last August. The 69-year-old owner was the only one of the five suspects still in custody. According to his lawyer, he suffers from rheumatism, diabetes and kidney stones, among other things. He is also being tested for leukemia.
The investigation into the amphetamine lab has been completed. An interim hearing will be held on July 4 to see what still needs to be done before the case can be dealt with substantively. Because it is unclear when the trial can be held, the court believes that the personal interests of the man from Kiel-Windeweer now outweigh the interest of the judiciary to keep the man in custody even longer. However, the man must appear at all hearings.
Although the drug lab was no longer operational when the police raided, officers in the yard did make a gruesome find. The badly affected body of Tess Abels (38) from Limburg was reportedly found in a well. In July 2022, the Limburger was reported missing by his family. How he died remains unclear. A natural death, murder or an ‘occupational accident’ in the lab, justice is a mystery.
‘Owner of the estate would have known about the body of Abels’
That is why the 69-year-old owner is not suspected of involvement in Abel’s death, but only in the disposal of his body. The criminal file contains tapped conversations in prison, which indicate that the man knew about the lifeless body of Tess Abels in his yard.
In total, the Public Prosecution Service has identified five suspects who are currently free. One of them is probably abroad and did not report to the police. He does have a lawyer who pleads his case on his behalf. In addition to running the lab in Kiel-Windeweer, the group of suspects is also said to be involved in drug dumping in Norg, early last year.