The court in Arnhem sentenced a 26-year-old man from Geldermalsen and a 26-year-old man from Belgium to prison terms of 54 months and 36 months respectively. The duo was guilty of transporting, possessing and importing large quantities of cocaine, the court said. 30 kilos of cocaine were seized from them.
(Image from archive)
Swimming pool
The detective discovered the case as part of an investigation into two explosions at buildings in Tricht. Detectives observed a house in Geldermalsen and saw the two suspects carrying a heavy garbage bag on July 27, 2023.
They took the bag in a car and drove to the parking lot of a swimming pool in Geldermalsen. Police arrested both men in the parking lot. During the arrest, the officers saw the open garbage bag with 17 blocks of cocaine wrapped in black foil in the back seat of the car.
Import to the Netherlands
After searching the car, officers found a hidden compartment containing another 13 blocks of cocaine. The police seized the drugs.
After the arrest, the police examined the duo’s phones. The police found a large number of chat messages and photos from which it could be deduced that one of the men had traveled to Belgium at night to pick up 150 kilos of cocaine in Antwerp.
The court rejected a confiscation claim from the Public Prosecution Service. The court finds that the arrest does not make it plausible that the men had already received money for the cocaine taken from Antwerp.
