The Public Prosecution Service demanded prison sentences of nine, seven and six years before the court at Schiphol against three men (50, 52 and 59 years old) from Diemen, Nieuw-Vennep and Amsterdam, on suspicion of importing 320 kilos of cocaine and preparatory acts targeting cocaine imports.
(Image: Royal Netherlands Marechaussee)
In 2019, the Cargo Harc team – a partnership of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee, FIOD and Customs – led by the Public Prosecution Service started an investigation into information from the Criminal Intelligence Team (TCI). This showed that several people were involved in preparing the import of cocaine from South America to Schiphol Airport.
Flower boxes
This resulted in the seizure of 320 kilos of cocaine in May 2021, hidden in five flower boxes. The cocaine was smuggled in by cargo plane from Ecuador. For the success of this transport, assistance from within was arranged by Schiphol personnel: removing cargo from an aircraft, transferring it from airside to landside and transporting the cargo away from the Schiphol site.
Plenty of evidence
On July 13, 2021, the three suspects, among others, were arrested, who stood trial on Wednesday and Thursday. The case against one of the other main suspects (38-year-old Oemesh K. from The Hague) and eight other co-suspects will take place at a later date. Nine of them were employed by companies at Schiphol at the time. According to the judiciary, the evidence for their involvement in the drug importation appears from various investigative data, such as telephone taps, historical print data, observations and the recording of confidential communications.
Key position
The 52-year-old Armand C. from Diemen spent a long time preparing and importing 320 kilos of cocaine on May 24, 2021. The Public Prosecution Service sees him as the client of the batch of drugs to be imported. He called in a co-defendant, who, according to the Public Prosecution Service, played a key position, both towards clients and towards the executors at Schiphol who were important for intercepting the cocaine.
The 59-year-old Maikel R. from Amsterdam, as an employee of a cargo handling company, would have the boxes of cocaine removed from the plane and transported to a company building at Schiphol, so that the shipment could be transported further outside the regular handling process and out of sight of Customs. become. ‘The file exudes an atmosphere of experience and a desire to structurally facilitate abuse of his position,’ said the public prosecutor at the hearing.
Crucial role
According to the Public Prosecution Service, 50-year-old Perry R. from Nieuw-Vennep played a crucial role in the intended connecting transport, in which the cocaine from the plane would be immediately loaded and further transported from the airport. The officer: ‘His contribution to the end of the import chain is necessary for a drug organization to be able to sell a batch with a Dutch street price of 16 million euros.’
The public prosecutor: ‘Based on the findings of the investigation, the suspects have carried out punishable preparatory acts and an actual importation within the meaning of the Opium Act. During the investigation or at the hearing, none of them gave a plausible explanation for the behavior that the Public Prosecution Service accuses them of.’
The OM is demanding prison sentences of nine years against Armand C., seven years against Maikel R., and six years against Perry R.
Co-defendants later on trial
Because the suspects have not been detained since last year, the Public Prosecution Service asks that they be immediately detained again in the event of a conviction. In addition to these suspects, eight more people are on trial, which will take place later this month.
The court will rule in all cases simultaneously, which is expected on June 30. The case against the other main suspect Oemesh K. has been postponed indefinitely. He is also suspected of money laundering in the period from January 1, 2018 to May 1, 2021.
