Several suspects who were arrested in November 2023 for a very violent kidnapping and torture of a 24-year-old Dutch man in the Spanish seaside resort of Fuengirola have their roots in Vlaardingen. The six suspects, who are called ‘The Peaky Blinders of Holland’ by the Spanish police, are said to have tortured the Dutchman for hours after the theft of a shipment of cocaine worth 3.2 million euros.
The Dutch Fugitive Active Search Team (FASTNL) arrested three Dutch people in the Netherlands on November 8 and 22, 2023 at the request of FAST Spain in connection with extreme drug violence, in which the 24-year-old Dutchman was kidnapped and tortured in Fuengirola.
Six suspects
The Public Prosecution Service reported on December 22 last year that it concerns a 26-year-old man from Vlaardingen, a 31-year-old man from Honselersdijk and a 35-year-old man from Rotterdam. A fourth Dutchman, a 35-year-old man from Hoek van Holland, could be traced in France on the instructions of FASTNL. He was arrested there by FAST France on November 10. In addition to the Dutch suspects, a British suspect has also been arrested in the United Kingdom. A sixth suspect was arrested in Marbella.
Amputation
The Spanish police suspect the men of kidnapping and torturing the Dutchman in May 2023 in a building in Fuengirola, southern Spain. The 24-year-old victim was held and abused for hours. His captors amputated both index fingers and made deep cuts in his feet with a knife. They left him unconscious in a remote area.
Lee A.
The Algemeen Dagblad wrote on Sunday that the alleged leader of the group of suspects is 38-year-old Lee A. Son of a British father and a Dutch mother. A. was born in England but grew up in South Holland. His social media lists Vlaardingen as his place of residence, but he has mainly stayed on the Costa del Sol in recent years. Lee A. was arrested in Marbella in November. He wears a Peaky Blinders tattoo, possibly a reference to his English roots. According to the AD, he ran a construction company in the Netherlands.
Brothers
The other suspects also all had their own handyman companies. Two suspects are brothers aged 26 and 29 from Vlaardingen. The 29-year-old brother was released on bail in January. The other five suspects are being held in a Spanish cell, but the substantive hearing of the criminal case will probably not start for another year or two.
It is unclear whether the alleged gang leader Lee A. also ordered the kidnapping and torture, according to the Spanish police. The group may have received orders ‘from higher up’ for the extreme violence.
Lie detector
The Spanish online newspaper El Español previously wrote that an argument is taking place in the background between two groups of cocaine traffickers. On May 8 and 9, 2023, the Dutch victim is said to have undergone a lie detector test by his captors in Great Britain to find out whether the rip deal was committed with his cooperation. When that test was inconclusive, the Dutchman is said to have traveled to the Costa del Sol to meet with the leader of the network.
Unconscious
On May 11, 2023, the victim was held in a building in Fuengirola and beaten. After hours of captivity, the kidnappers took him to a field in the municipality of Fuengirola. There, the index fingers of his hands were amputated and deep cuts were made in both feet with a knife. After losing consciousness and being left to fend for himself in the remote area, the man regained consciousness and was able to call for help on his own. The victim was found with black duct tape around his mouth.
He is now living in Turkey and has undergone several operations on his hands and feet. That is still not completely healed.
