Dutch authorities have intercepted and seized over 4,500kg of cocaine at the Port of Amsterdam, they say was shipped from Ghana and concealed in wood products, multiple Dutch news sources have reported.
The authorities say the shipment was destined for Germany. The haul is the largest ever to be seized at the Port of Amsterdam. The biggest drug haul in Dutch history was 8,000kg of cocaine seized in the Port of Rotterdam in 2023.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, three people were arrested. The three men, a 72-year-old, a 69-year-old and a 42-year-old.
The 72-year-old man from Chaam, Noord-Brabant, was allegedly used as a front, receiving payment to register the importing business in his name. During his arrest on October 5, authorities confiscated four phones which they accessed to investigate his role and the movement of funds. The 72-year-old and 42-year-old suspects have since been released.
Officials say they examined the phone of the 72-year-old ‘business owner’ whose ‘company was the importing entity’, and that led to the arrest of the 69-year-old resident of Amsterdam. While the 72-year-old man has been released after questioning, the 69-year-old man is still in custody.
The authorities also said earlier, a 42-year-old man from Amsterdam was arrested for his involvement in the case, but he has since been released.
The authorities say they expect to arrest more suspects soon.
The notorious Dutch fugitive, Jos Leijdekkers, is wanted for drug trafficking and murder. He has been sentenced in absentia in Belgium for masterminding an attempt to retrieve 10 tonnes of seized cocaine being held in a customs warehouse in Kalmthout, a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp.
The attempt was foiled by Belgian law enforcement, arresting seven individuals who are facing 10-years in jail. Eleven others received various sentences from one to nine years, and two were acquitted.
The 33-year-old Leijdekkers, wanted for drug smuggling in his home country, The Netherlands, has been seen in the company of Sierra Leone President Julius Maada Bio and his daughter in videos published online and examined by journalists. While some sources say he has been hiding in Sierra Leone for at least two years, Dutch officials say they believe he has been living in that country for longer. He has also been described as Europe’s most wanted man.
In June last year, he was sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison by a Rotterdam court for the offence of smuggling seven tonnes of cocaine, an armed robbery in Finland and ordering murder. In September last year, a Belgian court also sentenced him to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking offences and assault. Dutch police also suspect his involvement in the disappearance and suspected torture and murder of Naima Jilal, a woman who disappeared in Amsterdam in 2019.
By Emmanuel K Dogbevi
Source: ghanabusinessnews.com
