Rotterdam – In the summer of 2020, six port security officers were arrested on suspicion of corruption. Two of them were convicted because they played a facilitating role during various coke transports in the port of Rotterdam. They ran into the lamp thanks to the cracked communication network Encrochat.
After the arrests, the investigation for the police did not stop. The Rotterdam police has a special team that investigates phenomena within subversive crime. “As the police, we want to track down and arrest suspects, but in a large criminal network you see that this is not the solution to stop crime. If a ‘vacancy’ arises as a result of an arrest, then such a place is filled again in no time,” says the research leader. “Of course we must continue to investigate incidents and arrest suspects, but we must also take a broader view. Mapping the whole phenomenon. If you know how such a network works and what their tactics are, you can think about interventions. Whether we can erect barriers to disrupt their working methods.”
And so Team Oscar, as the special subversion team is called, delves deeper into the systems. In so-called ‘residual information’ of investigations. And brings all that kind of information together to get a better picture of criminal networks and their methods. In doing so, they sometimes come across key figures who play a role in this crime. Like the 36-year-old man who was arrested last Wednesday, April 12.
The man is suspected of having prepared cars with which thieves were brought onto the port grounds and drugs back off the site. He succeeded because he modified the cars in such a way that they looked exactly like cars that are allowed on this site. The colours, the stickers… he made sure they were indistinguishable from regular commercial vehicles.
The 36-year-old man from Ridderkerk was arrested in his home on Wednesday morning. In his home, the police found a large amount of expensive designer clothing and an expensive brand watch. Police also found three passenger cars near the house. Because it is believed that he was able to buy these with criminally obtained money and because crime should not pay, these items have been seized.
Information source: Politie.nl
