How a Quiet Corner of Northern Europe Became a Theatre of Extreme Drug Warfare

Ukrainian police seized more than a ton of heroin that was to be transported to the EU as diplomatic cargo. Four Turkish nationals were arrested in connection with the investigation https://sptnkne.ws/EThp

Drug trafficking through Antwerp at full speed (Video In het Nederlands).
05/01/21 om 17:09 Bijgewerkt om 16:03 Bron : Kanaal Z
The federal government is making an extra 125 million euros available this year in the fight against drugs. For example, new scanners will be introduced in the port of Antwerp that will work via artificial intelligence. With the aim of checking the containers with the highest risk profile. Last year, a record amount of 65 tons of cocaine was seized in the port of Antwerp. Good for a street value of about 7.5 billion euros.

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Cocaine: 65 tonnes seized in Antwerp in 2020, a new record 05 janvier 2021 à 19h02





Dated:
Objective set and achieved! CCP units entered tonnes of cocaine in 2020. An important milestone in the fight against illicit trafficking Congratulations and thank you to all our officers, national partners and committed donors for this achievement!
 
DMT


The Police seized 128 tons of drugs in 2020.

Drug Mule Turned Informer After Being Caught Smuggling 10kg Of Cocaine | Border Patrol: Europe
Jan 15, 2021

By Hans von der Brelie • last updated: 15/01/2021 - 20:09 / 8-10 minutes / Video / Snip:
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and EUROPOL are warning authorities that the pandemic is having a massive impact on the drug scene in countries across the EU.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned logistics and supply-chains around the world upside down. That also holds true for global smuggling routes. But how are drug dealers and drug addicts reacting to pandemic chaos? I went to Warsaw to investigate.

Warsaw's Praga district

The rundown Praga district in the Polish capital, Warsaw, is a hot spot for drug addicts. Discarded bottles, empty pill packets and used syringes can be found all around abandoned buildings.

The social consequences of the pandemic has forced the NGO, Prekursor, to reorganize their hands-on work. Blood-tests and syringe distribution are now done outside their mobile van. But before, addicts were welcome inside it.



And just in time for the unrest in California.



UN Office on Drugs & Crime
11:05 AM · Jan 3, 2021·Hootsuite Inc.
Amphetamine-type stimulants #ATS are some of the most common, well-known & used #SyntheticDrugs:
Ecstasy Speed & Base Ice & Methamphetamine The quantities of seized #ATS almost doubled x2, between 2013 & 2018.
More https://bit.ly/33eS4CD

 
Source: €600 million in cocaine headed to one Dutch address caught in busts

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Over 16,000 kilograms of cocaine was found at the Hamburg port in shipments of wall filler destined for the Netherlands

12 Feb. 2021 Image: Openbaar Ministerie/Public Prosecutors Office (OM)


Wednesday, February 24, 2021 - 15:25

€600 million in cocaine headed to one Dutch address caught in busts


An international effort involving authorities in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands led to the discovery of over 23 thousand kilograms of cocaine over the past 12 days, all of which was destined for a single address in the Netherlands. The amount of cocaine was a record for a single investigation, Dutch police said. Its street value was estimated at 600 million euros.

One person was arrested at his home Wednesday morning in connection with drug trafficking. He was identified as a 28-year-old man from Vlaardingen, with business addresses in Rotterdam and Bleskensgraaf. All three locations were searched by investigators.

The bulk of the cocaine was found at the port in Hamburg, Germany on February 12 in three sea containers being used to transport wall filler. Some 16,174 kilograms of the drug were found hidden in 1,728 cans of wall repair products on a ship which originated in Paraguay and stopped in Tangier, Morocco, and Rotterdam before arriving in Hamburg.

"The containers were presumably being transported to the Netherlands," Dutch police said. The inspection was carried out after Dutch Customs officials carried performed a risk analysis, and notified colleagues in Germany.

Eight days later, authorities in the Netherlands said they discovered that the same person who was supposed to receive the Hamburg shipments was also bringing in 11 sea containers filled with mackerel, pineapple, squid and wood on a ship traveling from Panama to Antwerp.

"About 7,200 kilos of cocaine was subsequently found in a container with blocks of wood," Dutch police said. This happened on Saturday, and the arrested suspect had allegedly tried to arrange the release of the containers.

"The intercepted mega shipments to the Netherlands together form an absolute record. Never before has so much cocaine been intercepted at once."

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Over 16,000 kilograms of cocaine was found at the Hamburg port in shipments of wall filler destined for the Netherlands
12 Feb. 2021 Image: Openbaar Ministerie/Public Prosecutors Office (OM)


beslag-antwerpen-20-2-2021-.jpg

A shipment of wood concealing 7,200 kilograms of cocaine intercepted in Antwerp. 20 February 2021
Image: Politie (Netherlands) / Douane (Belgium) Politie

beslag-antwerpen-20-2-2021-2.jpg

A shipment of wood concealing 7,200 kilograms of cocaine intercepted in Antwerp. 20 February 2021
Image: Openbaar Ministerie/Public Prosecutors Office (OM)

Source: 1,500 kg heroin found at Rotterdam port; Biggest bust ever

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1,500 kilos of heroin found at the Rotterdam port in a shipment of Himalayan salt from Pakistan, February 2021

Image: OM/Public Prosecutors Office (OM.nl)


Wednesday, February 24, 2021 - 10:06

1,500 kg heroin found at Rotterdam port; Biggest bust ever


Customs officers intercepted over 1,500 kilograms of heroin at the port of Rotterdam. With a street value of 45 million euros, this was the biggest heroin bust ever in the Netherlands, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said on Tuesday evening.

The drugs were found in a container from Pakistan, filled with Himalayan salt. The drugs were destroyed.

The bust was done in cooperation with the British National Crime Agency (NCA). Information from England helped the Dutch authorities identify various suspect. An address in Etten-Leur in Noord-Brabant was raided on February 9 and five men were arrested.

On Tuesday the Rotterdam court remanded three men, aged 38, 37 and 33 from Harlingen, Tzummarum and Nieuw Vennep, into custody for 90 days. The other two, aged 60 and 62 from Sint Willebrord, were released from custody, but are still suspects in the case.
 
Source: More drug labs dismantled in NL last year; Meth labs more than tripled

Thursday, March 4, 2021 - 09:22

More drug labs dismantled in NL last year; Meth labs more than tripled


Despite the fact that the coronavirus pandemic closed clubs and canceled festivals last year, synthetic drug production in the Netherlands continued unabated. The police dismantled 108 synthetic drug labs last year, 20 percent more than in 2019, and cleared out 23 percent more storage locations. The number of crystal meth labs more than tripled form 10 in 2019 to 32 last year.

he police had expected that the coronavirus lockdowns would reduce the demand for synthetic drugs like ecstasy and speed, but that turned out not to be the case, Max Daniel, in charge of the drugs portfolio at the police, said to AD. "In 2020 the production of synthetic drugs was running at full speed and prices have not fallen. That indicates that the demand has not decreased."

The Netherlands is a frontrunner when it comes to the manufacture of ecstasy and amphetamine, Daniel said. "We have the best labs in the world here and that's not something to be proud of." Drug labs are also getting bigger and more professional. In the past drugs were cooked in 50 liter glassware. Now boilers of 2,800 liters have been found in multiple labs.

The rise of crystal meth in the Netherlands is also striking. "The growth has to do with the revenue model," Daniel explained to the newspaper. "Crystal meth yields ten times as much, while the conversion of an amphetamine lab requires only a small investment."

The police are worried about the rise of crystal meth for several reasons. First is that the production of meth releases toxic mercury fumes, making it extra dangerous for those around a lab and the police officers sent to bust it. Another point of concern is the presence of Mexican criminals found at various crystal meth labs busted in the Netherlands. "We do not rule out that there are good agreements with Mexican cartels about the distribution of the profits," Daniel said.

The use of crystal meth is marginal in the Netherlands, which means that the production here is mainly for export. "That applies to all synthetic drugs that are made here," Daniel said to the newspaper. "Around the elections you hear politicians say that if you legalize drugs, you will get rid of all problems. I think that is a naive image. Only if you legalize drugs worldwide would you be rid of all crime."

Similar coverage: Police raided more drugs labs last year, including 32 to make crystal meth - DutchNews.nl


Other news: Amsterdam man convicted in sex club slayings shot dead in front of daughter, 7
Thursday, March 4, 2021 - 17:54

Amsterdam man convicted in sex club slayings shot dead in front of daughter, 7


Police confirm that a man shot on the Alexander Dumaslaan in Amsterdam-Zuidoost died from his injuries. Witnesses say the victim was a man convicted on multiple counts of manslaughter in an incident over 20 years ago at a sex club in Haarlem. The former Ajax football hooligan had picked up his seven-year-old daughter from primary school moments before he himself was shot dead.

The shooting was first reported at about 2:10 p.m. on Thursday. Emergency services immediately dispatched police and paramedics to the scene along with a trauma team traveling by helicopter. Police also used a helicopter as part of the investigation, and were using specially-trained dogs at the crime scene.

No arrests were immediately announced, but authorities said they were searching for a someone aged 20-25, standing between 1.8 and 1.9 meters in height, with a medium-dark skin complexion. The suspect was wearing a black parka-style jacket and jeans. "Several units are still looking for the suspect, who may have fled in the direction of the Dolingadreef," police said 45 minutes after the shooting.

Witnesses and area residents told newspaper Het Parool that 56-year-old Martin van de Pol was gunned down on the street. He met his daughter after her primary school, De Schakel, let students leave for the day. He was ambushed about a hundred meters away from there, and shot in the head, the newspaper reported.

Neighbors told the newspaper it was a common sight to see Van de Pol walking with his daughter after school. He was well known in the neighborhood. Authorities did not confirm that Van de Pol was killed in the incident, pending notification of next of kin.

For his role in the deaths of four people tied to the Hell's Angels in 2000, the gang had planned to eventually get their revenge, the Telegraaf reported at the time.

Club Esther quadruple murder

Court records show Van de Pol was one of two men convicted in the early morning February 20, 2000 shooting at Club Esther, a sex club in Haarlem, where a full member and three prospective members of the Hell's Angels were killed. The case was initially reported as a brawl that started when a female bartender refused to have sex with one of them, Rob Takken. He then pulled a gun, but another man, boyfriend of the bartender Joi L., fired first using a weapon left by the club's owner.

L., now 56, was believed to have killed Takken and another of the four men, and Van de Pol was thought to be responsible for the other two. Witnesses also told newspapers that the incident could have been retribution for another murder eight years earlier.

Van de Pol and co-defendant L. said they thought that if one victim was armed, all four of them were, and that they were defending themselves and others in the club by slaying the four men. The court rejected this in April 2001 and sentenced Van de Pol to life in prison for the Club Esther killings, and L. to ten years as he was diagnosed as having schizophrenia.

The following year, an appellate court said it found it plausible that one of the victims escalated the brawl at the bar and created the life threatening situation by pulling out a gun and aiming it at Van de Pol and L. It said that both suspects were responsible for all four deaths, but that killing Takken was a possible case of self defense. It also agreed that Van de Pol was acting mainly out of fear, and thus reduced the convictions from murder to manslaughter.

They were both given 15 years in prison on appeal, and L. was also ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment, court records show. L. was still in treatment earlier this week, the Haarlems Dagblad wrote. He was in court when family members of the victims asked a judge to ban him from visiting the municipalities of Haarlem and Gouda, which the court deemed unnecessary.

Football hooliganism, drugs, extortion

After his early release from prison, Van de Pol became a prominent figure among a violent crew of Ajax football supporters, even providing bodyguard services for some players. According to the Parool, Van de Pol was rumored to be connected to drug trafficking and extortion schemes that included threatening fans who make money selling team merchandise.

He was also investigated in 2014 for an incident where fireworks were thrown on the field of Ajax rivals Feyenoord in Rotterdam. It was suspected that the incident was meant to delay the start of the match so that Van de Pol and other supporters could see the game in its entirety, the Telegraaf wrote that year.

His reign reportedly ended when another person challenged his leadership by punching Van de Pol in font of his crew in November 2015, less than a year after a popular supporters' clubhouse was destroyed in an arson. Fed up with his antics, Parool reported that none of Van de Pol's associates jumped to his defense at the time.

Van de Pol was also convicted in October 2017 for carrying a firearm, for which he was sentenced to time served and community service.
 
Recently, it has been revealed that the Dutch flower and plant industry (which is a multi billion euro business) has been used by criminals as a front to hide their drugs trafficking behind.

Source: Criminality blooms around flower trade, according to new report - DutchNews.nl

Criminality blooms around flower trade, according to new report

March 5, 2021

A new report (PDF-file, in Dutch) has revealed that criminality is flourishing around the flower trade due to its global network and relatively lax controls.

The investigation, conducted for a collective of groups including four local councils, the police, public prosecutors and Royal FloraHolland growers’ cooperative, says the entire sector is vulnerable to drug trafficking, money laundering and the exploitation of workers.

Bouke Arends, mayor of Westland district, says (PDF-file, in Dutch) that more public money is needed urgently to toughen up controls and checks to meet the standards of other transport hubs such as Schiphol airport and Rotterdam harbor.

‘We are dealing with logistics systems that are far from watertight and so can easily be abused by criminals,’ he said in a press release. ‘Because of the lack of checks, we don’t even know how big the problem is…To tackle crime in the floriculture sector, it is essential that there is more recognition of the problem and systematic financial support.’

In 2020, for instance, a record drug bust (news article, in Dutch) of 5000 kilos of cocaine from Costa Rica was smuggled in a container that should have carried flowers. Last summer, 400 kilos of cocaine and speed were found (news article, in Dutch) in hidden compartments under 35 carts of flowers.

The report points out that the sector is worth €6.2 billion in annual exports of around 12 billion flowers and plants taken to every corner of Europe. ‘It is appealing for criminals to abuse the floriculture sector’s international position and transports of flowers,’ it says.

Drugs

It examines how the flower transport industry is used to distribute hauls of drugs brought through the Netherlands via its ports and airports, both via active criminality in ‘less than 20%’ of businesses but also by a lack of controls meaning drivers may be recruited or may not even know drugs are being smuggled in their vehicles.

The report also examines other kinds of fraud and exploitation known to exist in the industry, such as money laundering.

Steven van Schilfgaarde, chief executive of Royal FloraHolland, said the collective is determined to root out these problems. ‘There is no place in our floriculture sector for criminality,’ he said in a press release.

‘We have done a number of things already to improve internal security and safety, such as sharpening up client screening, data security, policy at locations and purchasing policy to combat the exploitation of workers. We have also launched a new payment system to combat money laundering and put in place measures prior to entering the auction site.’

Source: Flower route popular among drugs smugglers, police raid premises - DutchNews.nl

Flower route popular among drugs smugglers, police raid premises

March 17, 2021

Police have carried out raids on homes and business premises in Aalsmeer, Leiden, Amstelveen and Rotterdam in an investigation into to the use by criminals of the flower trade to smuggle drugs into the country via Schiphol airport.

The team were acting on a tip-off that drugs were going to be imported via South America and that various businesses were involved in the distribution. Police confiscated computers and paperwork but no arrests were made.

A report published earlier this month by four local councils, the police, public prosecutors and Royal FloraHolland growers’ cooperative, showed the entire floriculture sector is vulnerable to drug trafficking, money laundering and the exploitation of workers.

The sector has long asked for more public money to toughen up controls and checks to meet the standards of other transport hubs, such as Schiphol airport and Rotterdam harbor.

Bouke Arends, mayor of Westland district, said at the time that the sector’s logistics systems are far from watertight and so can easily be abused by criminals.

In 2020, for instance, a record drug bust of 5,000 kilos of cocaine from Costa Rica was smuggled in a container that should have carried flowers. Last summer, 400 kilos of cocaine and speed were found in hidden compartments under 35 carts of flowers.

However, because of the lack of checks there is no knowing how many more drugs are being traded via this route, Arends said.

Similar coverage (but shorter): Multiple raids in investigation into drug trafficking through flower sector
 
Source: Diving team finds 220 kilos of cocaine underneath ship

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Cocaine found in sea locker underneath ship - Source: Openbaare Ministerie at Openbaare Ministerie - License: Deposit Photos

Sunday, May 23, 2021 - 14:20
Diving team finds 220 kilos of cocaine underneath ship

A diving unit from the authorities in Rotterdam found 220 kilos of cocaine stashed underneath a ship from Santos in Brazil at the port of Rotterdam on Sunday.

The narcotics were hidden in four sports bags stored in so-called “sea lockers” on bilge keel of the Orange Sky, a special cargo ship used to transport fruit juice. Sea lockers are openings beneath the water surface where seawater is used to cool down the temperature inside the ship, for example, in the engine room.

Authorities have since destroyed the drugs found.

At times, drug smugglers are able to bribe workers at the port to help them bring drugs into the country.

Earlier this week, police arrested nine people between the ages of 25- to 50-years-old on the suspicion of drug smuggling and corruption, AD reported. Some of the suspects were workers at the port of Rotterdam. At their homes, officials confiscated designer clothing, expensive watches, two cars and 400 thousand euros in cash.
 
UPDATE: Cocaine trafficking through Dutch flower auction; Criminal gang busted

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - 10:07

Cocaine trafficking through Dutch flower auction; Criminal gang busted


With the arrest of three men, the police believe they've dismantled a criminal network that used the flower auction in Aalsmeer for cocaine trafficking. The police intercepted three batches totaling in over 200 kilograms of cocaine in this investigation. Messages intercepted from the Sky ECC encrypted service played a "crucial role" in this, the police said in a statement on Wednesday.

The first batch of cocaine was intercepted in February 2020. Packets of cocaine were found hidden underneath flowers in a transport from a warehouse near the flower auction in Aalsmeer. The owner of this company was identified as a suspect.

In September, a second shipment was intercepted leading the police to another suspect - an employee of an export company, based at the flower auction.

The third suspect was linked to this case when the police gained access to the Sky ECC server and the encrypted messages sent through it. "The third suspect was already in our picture for money laundering, but the encrypted data allowed us to expand the suspicion against him with export of hard drugs," a detective on the case said.

The suspects, aged 24, 37 and 52, were arrested in Amsterdam, Uithoorn, and Vleuten on June 5 of this year. They are suspected of international drug trafficking, money laundering and participation in a criminal investigation. They were arraigned and the first two suspects were remanded into custody for 90 days. The third was released, but remains a suspect.

The police searched homes and business premises in Amsterdam, Badhoevedorp, Utrecht, Amstelveen, Aalsmeer, and Uithoorn, seizing an amount of cash, computers, phones, and various means of transport, among other things.

The investigation is ongoing and more arrests may follow, the police said.
 
Guerrilla scene in the middle of Paris, this afternoon: mortar fire by young people to scare drug addicts away in Parc Eole, north of the capital. Many police officers deployed and several streets blocked.#stalingrad#stalincrack#saccageparis#crack#Hidalgo @valeurs



Alexander is in his mid-forties and works in the media industry. He lives in Berlin's central district — and he is a cocaine user. In the past, this meant he took the drug about twice a week. But since the COVID lockdown began, he has been sniffing it more often, Alexander tells DW. "Four times a week, for sure."

Almost every night several friends come over and visit him — something that is forbidden by Berlin's lockdown rules. "But people are just bored as hell," he says. "And what do people take when they're bored? Something that provides amusement."

Partying at home

Before the pandemic, Alexander and his friends met in bars, where they'd secretly take cocaine now and then.

"If you're a group of eight people, it's not like you're all running to the bathroom at the same time," he says. "But when you're at home, you put the stuff on the table, make eight lines and everybody gets some at the same time. It's faster this way, and everybody takes more."

There are still no official numbers on how drug use has changed during the coronavirus pandemic. Movement restrictions, closed borders and deserted airports should have complicated the work of criminal gangs, as it has for legal enterprise. Experts consequently initially expected the illegal drug trade to plummet, leading to a decline in consumption.

Yet supply is no problem at all, says Alexander. With just one phone call, a "cocaine taxi" will stop at his house 20 to 30 minutes later. "You don't have to wait any longer than forty-five minutes." It's just like a food delivery service. Prices have also remained stable, he says, while the purity of the substance has increased.

A record find

Rene Matschke can confirm that. His job is to make sure the "cocaine taxis" Alexander calls in Berlin run into supply problems sooner or later. Matschke is head of the customs investigation office in Hamburg, Germany's largest port city. "The main entry gates for cocaine are always the big ports," Matschke tells DW.

More than 23.000 shipping containers arrive at the Hamburg port every day. Matschke's staff picks out particularly suspicious ones: containers that have come from South America, traveled a specific route, been handled by shady companies. The Hamburg customs officers then screen these containers in their gym-sized X-ray facility.


Sometimes they find cocaine packed in sports bags; sometimes it's hidden between bags of rice or animal feed. "The quantities we are seizing nowadays have never been seen before," Matschke says. "We reached ten tons in the last two years. Before that, we would seize three or five tons nationwide per year."

Last week, Matschke presented his biggest find to date: 16,000 kilograms (35,270 pounds) of cocaine. It had been hidden in tin cans that should have contained putty. Never before has so much cocaine been seized in one haul in Europe.

Infographic showing cocaine seized in Germany in recent years

Europe is good for business​

According to Jeremy McDermott, director of the organization InSight Crime, Europe is currently the most attractive market for cocaine traffickers. In an interview with DW, he talks of a "cocaine pipeline to Europe."

"The prices are much higher, and the risks are so much lower than in the Americas," McDermott says. He and his team in Medellín, Colombia, analyze organized crime in South America.

"The United States spends billions of dollars every year fighting the drug war [war on drugs: Eds.]. They have deployed a veritable army dedicated to counternarcotics," he says. This makes focusing on Europe "simply a good business decision." McDermott believes the European cocaine market will continue to grow, especially in Eastern Europe.

An inforgraphic showing cocaine routes into Europe

Cocaine production in countries such as Colombia, Bolivia and Peru remains high. Several routes to Europe have been established from those places, McDermott says.

"Let's take one of the most popular routes, which is from Colombia to a port in Brazil. There, the cocaine has to be put onto a container going to Europe. That will involve a different criminal structure, one that has likely corrupted port officials and custom officials."

Upon reaching Europe, the containers are received by another crew and taken to an intermediate storage facility, McDermott says. The ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp are major reception points, he adds. "So it is often Dutch organized crime that will get the cocaine off the docks and move it to a safe house where the load is broken down. It has many owners and different destinations."

Prepare for violence​

That's how the drugs find their way to smaller dealers and customers like Alexander in Berlin. A total of twelve million Europeans have used cocaine at some point, estimates the EMCDDA, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, located in Lisbon, Portugal.

Laurent Laniel of the EMCDDA says that cocaine has been on the rise in Europe for several years now. He expects the boom to cause severe repercussions. "We should prepare for more corruption and more violence in Europe," he tells DW.

Cans that appeared to contain putty but actually contained cocaine
Hamburg customs officers found 16 tons of cocaine hidden in these tin cans
Given the cocaine quantities that have been discovered, Laniel says that one must already assume that drug gangs are bribing employees in ports and airports, at the least. "There are also increasing indications of corruption in law enforcement and criminal justice actors in Europe," he says, adding that he believes some individuals in administration and politics in Europe could already be profiting from the cocaine trade.

The more cocaine flows into Europe, the more money is at stake, Laniel says, and this increases the willingness of gangs to use violence. He cites the discovery in the Netherlands of shipping containers converted into torture chambers as an example of how brutally organized crime now operates in Europe.

Matschke says there have been shootings in Hamburg's drug-trafficking scene and that more powerful firearms are being found during searches. Customs and police officers are also being threatened, he adds.

'A slaughtered pig'​

How should the state respond? With a war on drugs like the one the US is waging? McDermott of InSight Crime does not think that is the right way: "You need a holistic approach, not just repression, interdictions and arrests."

To do that, he says, Germany needs to work together with its European partners, the US and countries in Latin America. "You have to strengthen civil society, offering cocoa farmers a dignified and legal alternative. If you're trying to contain the drug trade just by searching containers in Hamburg, then your chances of making a serious dent to the drug trade are very difficult [slim]."

A coca farmer in Putumayo, a coca-region in Colombia
A coca farmer in Putumayo, one of the main coca-growing regions in Colombia
Cocaine user Alexander in Berlin sees himself as the last link in a long chain. Not much would change if he stopped using cocaine, he says. "Once the stuff is here, it's like a slaughtered pig. If I don't eat it, it's still dead."

But what about his health? Regular cocaine use can damage blood vessels and internal organs, cause psychological dependence and trigger mental illness, doctors warn. "Because it's cut, what you're putting into your body is of course sometimes questionable," Alexander says. He has resolved to try and do one thing when the lockdown ends, however: cut back on his consumption.
 
Source: 3,000 kg cocaine, €11 million cash found on Noord-Holland farm: report
(three photographs omitted)

Tuesday, June 29, 2021 - 08:57 AM

3,000 kg cocaine, €11 million cash found on Noord-Holland farm: report


Update 9:38 a.m. - Updated the article with photos and more exact figures after the police released a statement on this bust
.

The police discovered 2,993 kilograms of cocaine and 11 thousand [million] euros in cash on a farm in the Noord-Holland village of De Kwakel last week, the police said (in Dutch) on Tuesday. According to the police, the cocaine has a street value of some 195 million euros and came from a drug-line from South America.

The discovery on the farm on Hoofdweg was made on Thursday, but kept quiet by the police in the interest of the investigation. The police also seized six firearms, silencers, ammunition, money counting machines, luxury goods worth thousands of euros, and a vintage car.

"This is without a doubt one of the largest drug busts by the Amsterdam police," a police spokesperson, the leader of this investigation, said to De Telegraaf [behind paywall]. The house was filled to the brim with blocks of cocaine and bags of cash. "What we found was so much that we had to call in extra specialists."

The address in question has no registered residents, but a 54-year-old man was found living on the farm. He was arrested as a suspect. A 29-year-old man from Hilversum was also arrested. Both are suspected of large-scale drug trafficking.

The investigation is ongoing and more arrests may follow.
 
In case you missed it.


In a new episode of De Taghi Podcast, Paul Vugts and @WLaumans about the events surrounding Peter R. de Vries: 'First his brother, then his lawyer, now Peter R. de Vries'. To listen on http://Parool.nl and all podcast channels.

For years, violence escalated in the underworld. More and more that started to focus on the upper world. The message of the attack on Peter R. de Vries is: no one is safe. I wrote this analysis together with colleague Paul Vugts.
The shooting of Peter R. de Vries fits in with the pattern of murders and attacks that are attributed by the investigative services to the criminal organization of Ridouan Taghi. These seem increasingly focused on sowing fear.
Wouter Laumans en Paul Vugts10 juli 2021, 04:55

Where did you hit? In your head?" a woman asks Peter R. de Vries. The Netherlands' most famous crime reporter does not answer. He is lying on the ground in the Lange Leidsedwarsstraat. He was just shot at close range after leaving the RTL Boulevard recording studio.

There's blood running from the right side of his head. The woman is squatting next to him. She holds his left hand. When she lets go of it, De Vries' arm falls down on the street. “He's still alive,” she says. “Has there been a call?” shouts a man in the background.

The oppressive film, made just after the assassination attempt, is sent from phone to phone at lightning speed. Later that evening, Mayor Femke Halsema will call during a press conference not to forward the images. “This is about the dignity and vulnerability of Peter R. de Vries. If you have images, filmed yourself or received them from someone else: do not distribute them further.”

Then countless recipients have already seen the shocking images for a long time. This raises the question of whether that may have been the intention of the principals of the attack. They could at least suspect that an assassination attempt on a well-known Dutchman at a television studio a stone's throw from Leidseplein would generate enormous media attention.

That thought is not crazy. The attack on De Vries fits in seamlessly with a series of liquidations and attacks attributed by the Public Prosecution Service to the criminal organization surrounding Ridouan Taghi. This has undergone a development in recent years in which the focus seems to be shifting more and more from eliminating (criminal) rivals via targets in the upper world, to causing as much fear as possible in the rule of law. Terror. "Calm and stylish"

For an underworld murder, you can choose a place where the perpetrators have the greatest chance of getting away unseen, preferably in the dark, but that the group around Taghi did not avoid publicity when killing and thus sowing fear, was already apparent from mutual agreement. messaging from 2016.
On April 17, 2016, two men contacted each other via their encrypted Blackberries.

They discuss the imminent liquidation of criminal Samir Erraghib. This acquaintance of Ridouan Taghi is said to have gossiped about him. So he must die. "What time are you going to stand in front of that dog's house?" asks Morad Taghi, a younger brother of Ridouan Taghi, according to justice. 'We will be there at 6 o'clock brother,' is the answer from (according to justice) Achraf B., who adds that 'everything will be and will go well'. “Let's hope,” Morad writes. “Pat (nickname of Ridouan Taghi, variant of 'patron', boss) even said: if you do it in broad daylight, you will all be well rewarded. "And no panic or stress," he said. "Calm and stylish."

For an underworld murder, you can choose a place where the perpetrators have the greatest chance of getting away unseen, preferably in the dark, but that the group around Taghi did not avoid publicity when killing and thus sowing fear, was already apparent from mutual agreement. messaging from 2016.

On April 17, 2016, two men contacted each other via their encrypted Blackberries. They discuss the imminent liquidation of criminal Samir Erraghib. This acquaintance of Ridouan Taghi is said to have gossiped about him. So he must die.

"What time are you going to stand in front of that dog's house?" asks Morad Taghi, a younger brother of Ridouan Taghi, according to justice. 'We will be there at 6 o'clock brother,' is the answer from (according to justice) Achraf B., who adds that 'everything will be and will go well'.

“Let's hope,” Morad writes. “Pat (nickname of Ridouan Taghi, variant of 'patron', boss) even said: if you do it in broad daylight, you will all be well rewarded. "And no panic or stress," he said. "Calm and stylish."

Headshots Despite the financial incentive to calmly kill Samir Erraghib during the day, the liquidation is chaotic. Erraghib is shot dead in IJsselstein in the car next to his seven-year-old daughter. The two young gunmen can be quickly arrested because the stolen getaway car does not start due to a dead battery. They get long prison terms.

According to the detectives, Ridouan Taghi has contact with brother Morad after the assassination attempt. They have read on the internet that the victim has been taken to hospital. Ridouan Taghi wonders if the target might survive.

"That's why headshots, otherwise shit!!" he says. Where in the case of Erraghib it is still about the punishment of a criminal rival, in the case of Martin Kok it is already different. This ex-criminal has a new life as a crime blogger. On his website Vlinderscrime he writes everything he receives from the underworld. Unfiltered, without checking the truth content and without rebuttal, but often first. With his publications about Ridouan Taghi's friends, Kok has incurred Taghi's anger. On the day of Erraghib's murder, Taghi writes to a criminal contact of his: 'Kk Vlindercrime sir. That dog needs to sleep."

National disaster

In the summer of 2016, a witness discovers a bomb under Kok's car, which is parked in front of restaurant Klein Kalfje aan de Amstel. The explosive, as will be shown later, has the power of 40 grenades. If the bomb had gone off, it would probably have been a national disaster. A test at a military training ground revealed that part of the establishment was believed to have been destroyed. It is likely that many people were killed and injured.

Martin Kok is very lucky that day. Later that year, in December, after another failed attempt earlier that day in Amsterdam South, he will still be liquidated when he leaves his beloved sex club in Laren. Ridouan Taghi has been charged with this murder. In March 2018, the judiciary proudly announces that it has an important asset in the fight against the then still fugitive Taghi: crown witness Nabil B. He was, in his own words, part of the criminal organization. After he got stuck, he switched to the law. He has confessed to being involved in two murders himself and has now struck a deal. He has made a long series of incriminating statements about Ridouan Taghi and his organization.

Less than a week later, Reduan, the innocent brother of Nabil B., is shot dead in his company in Amsterdam-Noord. The murder causes a shock wave in the Netherlands. Never before has an innocent family member been deliberately murdered to hit a witness. Minister Ferd Grapperhaus talks about "an extremely brutal action" and says: "We are going to tackle this form of crime very hard."

John van den Heuvel

The shooter can be apprehended relatively quickly. It's Shurandy S., a cocaine addict in his forties. He states that he was approached a few months before the murder by someone he knew from the past. He eventually gets 28 years. He does not name a client.

Nevertheless, the investigative services are convinced that Ridouan Taghi ordered the murder. John van den Heuvel It is a pattern that will repeat itself over and over. A rocket is shot into the editorial office of Panorama weekly in Sloterdijk. Five days later, an attack on the nearby headquarters of De Telegraaf follows. Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks of 'a slap in the face to the free press and democracy'. The executors are convicted. Although the name Ridouan Taghi is being heard again, the clients are kept out of harm's way thanks to silent suspects.

Meanwhile, crime reporter John van den Heuvel has been living in the highest possible security since December 2017 for fear that he will be murdered on behalf of Taghi. Van den Heuvel still has that security. The attacks are escalating in severity. After the unprecedented attacks on journalism, Derk Wiersum, the lawyer of crown witness Nabil B., is shot dead at his home in Buitenveldert. A shock wave goes through the country. This time, Minister of Justice Grapperhaus speaks of 'an attack on the rule of law'. Lawyers, prosecutors and judges are horrified to realize that they too could be next. Again the police see Taghi's signature. Especially if his cousin is arrested. Again, hard evidence is lacking. This case also seems to get stuck on the executors. They will be available from Monday. Sigh of relief.

Three months after the murder of Derk Wiersum, Ridouan Taghi is arrested in Dubai. The Netherlands breathes a sigh of relief. He is transferred to the EBI, the highest security prison in the Netherlands.

That the danger has by no means passed, as insiders have so often warned, becomes painfully clear on Tuesday. Peter R. de Vries, the confidential counselor of crown witness Nabil B. since 2020, is shot when he walks from the recording studio of RTL Boulevard to the garage where his car is. In the middle of the Leidsebuurt, where surveillance cameras cover every square meter.

The suspected shooter can already be jammed on the A4 an hour later. It is 21-year-old Delano G. He is a cousin of Jaouad W., "Joey", a childhood friend (they were in a youth gang together) and criminal partner of Ridouan Taghi, who is now serving a lengthy prison sentence for preparing underworld murders. With that, Taghi's shadow hangs over this attack again.

This finding confirms a new reality about which the judiciary and many stakeholders are very concerned. The idea that the organization around Taghi is apparently still capable of carrying out attacks raises the extremely important question of who gave the order.

War chest with script


In the environment, the unconfirmed story goes that, prior to his arrest, Ridouan Taghi filled a war chest of 25 million with a script to be finished. However, De Vries only became a confidant of crown witness Nabil B. after Taghi was arrested and transferred to the EBI. Ergo: if the assignment came from Taghi personally, then it must have come from the highest-security prison in the Netherlands.

Another distressing observation is that the shooting of De Vries does not seem to serve any rational purpose. It makes no difference to the process. The crown witness has made his statements. In addition, the judiciary sees hard evidence in thousands of mutual messages. Taghi himself has few illusions about his verdict. “If the judge just gives me life tomorrow: ok, so be it. Next case,” he says in his first interrogation in the Netherlands.

So what was the use of the assassination attempt on Peter R. de Vries? Revenge? Meeting the crown witness? In any case, it has nothing to do with obtaining, strengthening or maintaining Taghi's position within the criminal environment. The fact that it apparently does not matter that the reckless executors are simply caught makes the fight against this violence even more complicated.

Within the Public Prosecution Service, the legal profession and even the criminal environment there is a stark conclusion: Taghi has switched to terror. That finding raises a new and frightening question. What will be the next step? Which symbol is struck next in the apparently sick assertiveness of a group that clearly thinks itself untouchable?

Dec. 8, 2020 7:33 am ET RT / 08:30 (voice reader) Snip:
Narco gangs piggyback legal business networks to tap rich markets world-wide
MOERDIJK, Netherlands—When police raided a barge moored here last year, they found more than just a sophisticated crystal meth lab that started sinking as they inspected it.

The setup—Mexican cooks using Dutch equipment to process chemicals from China—offered a window into the new global drug economy. A number of recent Dutch narcotics raids have snagged Mexican nationals, including ones linked to the violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Mexican cartels, which dominate drug trafficking in North America, are drawn to the Netherlands because it is a global trade nexus with sea and rail links to Asia that has long been Europe’s top manufacturer of synthetic drugs.

Sources: Dutch court documents; Binnenvaart.eu
1626375960091.png

Mexican Connection Dutch police found three cooks from Mexico handling meth-yielding chemicals when they raided this ship in May 2019.

Chemical Whack-A-Mole

Dutch chemists are always a step ahead of the law in ordering chemicals from China that can be converted into meth's main ingredient.


Screenshot 2021-07-15 at 21-03-12 Mexican Cartels Are Now Cooking Chinese Chemicals in Dutch M...png
14 Jul 2021 Snip:
Overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States government reported on Wednesday.

That estimate far eclipses the high of about 72,000 drug overdose deaths reached the previous year and amounts to a 29 percent increase.

‘Truly sorry’: US opioid makers apologise for role in addictionUS eases prescription requirements for opioid treatmentJohnson & Johnson to pay $230m in New York opioids case
US eases prescription requirements for opioid treatment

SD

Part of US’s deadliest year

Overdose deaths are just one facet of what was overall the deadliest year in US history. With about 378,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19, the nation saw more than 3.3 million deaths.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reviewed death certificates to come up with the estimate for 2020 drug overdose deaths. The estimate of more than 93,000 translates to an average of more than 250 deaths each day, or roughly 11 every hour.

The 21,000 increase
is the biggest year-to-year jump since the count rose by 11,000 in 2016.

More historical context: According to the CDC, there were fewer than 7,200 total US overdose deaths reported in 1970, when a heroin epidemic was raging in US cities. There were about 9,000 in 1988, around the height of the crack epidemic.

The proliferation of fentanyl is one reason some experts do not expect any substantial decline in drug overdose deaths this year. Though national figures are not yet available, data is emerging from some states that seems to support their pessimism. Rhode Island, for example, reported 34 overdose deaths in January and 37 in February – the most for those months in at least five years.

The Violance in Mexico

 
The Netherlands: Well known crime reporter shot in the head in Amsterdam in broad daylight
Thanks Palinurus. I should know to search the forum first, (being that this incident was in your home town).



21st July 2021 Tony Kingham
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers seized hard narcotics in four separate, unrelated incidents that totaled over $75,000,000 in street value.

“Our frontline officers continue to maintain their vigilance as the summer wears on and their effective application of interview experience and utilization of inspections technology resulted in four significant seizures of hard narcotics loads in both the passenger and commercial vehicle environments,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry.

The first enforcement action occurred on July 14th at the Colombia-Solidarity Bridge, after CBP officers encountered an empty refrigerated trailer arriving from Mexico. The 2010 Freightliner was referred for a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, resulting in the discovery of 3,740.36 pounds of alleged methamphetamine within the trailer. The narcotics had an estimated street value of $74,806,487.

The second seizure occurred on July 14th at the World Trade Bridge, after CBP officers assigned to the cargo facility processed a daily express consignment truck with a shipment manifesting a toy car arriving from Mexico. The 2015 Freightliner and shipment were referred for a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, resulting in the discovery of 5.68 pounds of alleged brown heroin within the shipment. The narcotics combined had an estimated street value of $129,000.

The third enforcement action occurred on July 15th at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, after a CBP officer referred a 2017 Toyota Hiace arriving from Mexico for a secondary inspection. Following a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, CBP officers discovered a total of 17 packages containing 37.61 pounds of alleged cocaine within the vehicle. The narcotics had an estimated street value of $291,720.

The fourth enforcement action occurred on July 15th at the World Trade Bridge, after CBP officers encountered a truck hauling a shipment of leather seats arriving from Mexico. The 2019 Ford F-350 and shipment were referred for a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, resulting in the discovery of 14 packages containing 38 pounds of alleged marijuana within the shipment. The narcotics had an estimated street value of $7,760.

The four interceptions
have a combined street value of $75,234,967.

CBP seized the narcotics, the van and one trailer in connection with the alleged smuggling attempts. The cases were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.


 
Last edited:
Source: Police raid 'most professional' crystal meth lab ever found in NL - DutchNews.nl

Police raid ‘most professional’ crystal meth lab ever found in NL

July 30, 2021

Dutch police have discovered what they say is the biggest and most professional laboratory for the production of highly addictive crystal meth ever found in the Netherlands.

The lab, raided on the basis of information gleaned from an encrypted chat service, was located in two large sheds on land near the village of Nederweert in Limburg. One person, a 62-year-old Polish national, was in a house on the property at the time and arrested.

Specialist police teams are now dismantling the lab and taking samples of the chemicals, police said in a statement. That is likely to take until Sunday.

Police say more arrests cannot be ruled out.

Last year, Dutch police closed down 32 meth labs, more than three times the 2019 total.

Coverage in Dutch:
'Grootste productielocatie crystal meth in Nederland aangetroffen'
Politie vindt in Nederweert grootste crystalmethlab ooit in Nederland
geenstijl.nl/5160359/politie-vindt-grootste-methlab-ooit/
 
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