Five suspects of two mass iPhone thefts at a business park near Schiphol have been sentenced to prison sentences of ten months to two and a half years. The sentences are lower than the OM wished: three weeks ago, the public prosecutor demanded a prison sentence of up to six years. In total, six men were tried, but one of them was acquitted.
The first theft of a large batch of iPhones took place on March 14, 2020, when a shipment of mobile phones imported from China was taken to a cargo handling company near the airport.
It concerned 27 pallets with telephones with a retail value of almost 2.7 million euros. In the evening a driver reported to that company to take the iPhones. He showed false waybills and then took the consignment to a warehouse in Edam.
18,090 stolen iPhones
About 9 months later, another larger batch of phones was stolen. On December 6, 2020, a load of 18,090 iPhones with a retail value of more than 17 million euros was present in the same cargo handling company.
Even then, the cargo was taken away by a driver who showed false waybills. This batch was taken to a warehouse in Almere and some of these were later found in the Netherlands and Germany.
Potential buyer
According to the court, it has been proven that the five men played a crucial role in the theft of the cargo of telephones. The first theft is said to have been organized by a 40-year-old man from Amsterdam, who approached 59-year-old driver Aydin K. from Amsterdam and gave him false papers.
He was also present at the unloading of the cargo and found a potential buyer for the iPhones. The court sentenced him to 18 months in prison. The driver, a 39-year-old man from Zaandam, has been given a prison sentence of fourteen months for his role.
Organizer
The heaviest sentence is for 33-year-old Hicham O. from Heerhugowaard. He is convicted of laundering the stolen phones. He arranged the warehouse in Edam and was present at the transfer, knowing that the iPhones had been stolen.
De Heerhugowaarder was also convicted of the theft on December 6. He also played an organizing role. That is why the court imposed a prison sentence of thirty months on him. That sentence was lower than what the Public Prosecution Service had in mind: the requirement was six years.
In the second theft, the 60-year-old professional driver Dewdath P. from Purmerend collected the telephones and transported them to Almere. He had been commissioned to do so by Hicham O.
Although, according to the court, there is no evidence that the 60-year-old knew he was going to commit a theft, he will still be sentenced to prison. He did deliver the cargo to the requested address, even though he knew that there were stickers from another company (with a different address) on the boxes. The delivery address was also changed at the last minute.
The court says that he deliberately took the risk of transporting the cargo, despite indications that it could be a stolen cargo. That is why he has to spend twelve months in jail for money laundering.
Abroad
A 59-year-old man had taken care of the warehouse in Almere. He would inspect the phones, but says he was shocked by the sheer amount. That’s why he had them taken away. He left behind two pallets, which he wanted to take abroad. The court sentenced him to 10 months in prison for money laundering.
One man went unpunished: a 56-year-old counter clerk from the cargo handling company. He checked the consignment notes on March 14, 2020. The driver then took the load of iPhones with him. According to the court, there is insufficient evidence that he knew that the waybills were false and that the cargo would be stolen.