The Public Prosecution Service in Suriname has charged the Turk Mehmet B. (51) with participation in a criminal organization, preparing drug transports and possession of drugs and weapons. B., who lives in Rotterdam, is suspected of being the pivot in a large internationally operating criminal network, which smuggles cocaine and money laundering, among other things. B. was arrested in Suriname in June last year.
When he was arrested, the police came across various means of communication and an illegal automatic firearm. The police also seized a large amount of foreign currency and Surinamese dollars.
Boxes of roses
Website Key News writes that chat conversations and images have been found on B.’s mobile phones that indicate that he was directing drug transports, between Bogota (Colombia) and Amsterdam, among others. In one of the chats, the smuggling of a block (kilo) of cocaine in boxes with roses was said to have been discussed. GPS trackers should be hidden in both the boxes and the blocks of coke in order to track the shipments.
Corrupt customs officials
The Surinamese police also have video material of the secured cargo area (baggage area) of an aircraft. The police do not rule out that these videos were made by customs officers at the airport.
In the Surinamese investigation into Mehmet B., customs officer Cedric B. was arrested in October 2022. Another customs officer who had also been arrested was released after questioning.
