The Public Prosecution Service wants eight years in prison for a man who, according to it, is guilty of structural trafficking in hard drugs and their production. He stated that he was the only one in the Netherlands who could make ecstasy pills with a cola or banana scent.
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Price
If it is up to the Public Prosecution Service, 8 years in prison is the price that a 28-year-old man from Almere must pay for his years of involvement in drug trafficking. It has also been demanded that he must repay the determined profit. He will not get back a confiscated car, Rolex watch and expensive designer clothing worth tens of thousands of euros.
Cracking
The suspicion that the man was involved in drug trafficking and production arose after the investigative services succeeded in cracking the servers of the encrypted chat services Encrochat and Sky ECC in 2020. “This gave them insight into the communication between a large number of criminals who had previously believed themselves unobserved,” the Public Prosecution Service writes.
But even after that, the suspect continued his criminal activities. This was evident from communications in a telephone that was seized during the man’s arrest.
Transportation
The communication contained in the investigation file shows – in the opinion of the Public Prosecution Service – that the suspect was involved in trading and producing hard drugs almost every day for a long time. He arranged transports, ordered raw materials, offered cocaine from Colombia and Bolivia and had contacts about setting up production sites for synthetic drugs.
He can also be held responsible for a concrete transport of one hundred kilograms of amphetamine to Finland.
Cola scent
A previous arrest in August 2020 revealed that the suspect was in possession of MDMA. Moreover, when he was arrested at the end of 2022, items were found in his home that substantiated the suspicion. For example, he claimed in chats that he was the only one who could make banana and cola scented pills and the police found buckets of banana and cola scented powder in his home.
Rolex
The investigation did not make it clear what the suspect earned from his share in drug smuggling. However, a series of concrete drug sales have become clear from the chats. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he earned more than twelve thousand euros from this. It has been demanded that he pay this amount to the state.
He is also suspected of laundering criminally obtained money by purchasing a car, a Rolex watch and expensive designer clothing. These items were seized at an early stage of the investigation. As far as the Public Prosecution Service is concerned, the items will definitely not be returned to the suspect.
Trouble
In the view of the Public Prosecution Service, the suspect has been guilty of serious crimes. He arranged large drug transports, certain strategies and, for example, also deployed drivers to implement his plans. “The suspect has played a significant role in the hard drug trade for years,” the Public Prosecution Service said in a message. ‘And that trade causes violence and misery. Violence in the underworld and misery in the personal lives of addicts and the people around them,” the prosecutor said. ‘After his arrest, the suspect showed little to no self-insight. He denies the facts without providing further explanation or refutation. All in all, the Public Prosecution Service believes that a long unconditional prison sentence of eight years is appropriate.’
