Two years of investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering led early this morning to the arrest of seven suspects in the Rotterdam region and Amsterdam. The police raided 22 places, from a business building in Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel to a home in Bergschenhoek. Expensive cars were seized in the latter raid.
Hundreds of police officers are involved in the mega operation, which extends throughout the Netherlands but also abroad. There have also been raids in Serbia and Luxembourg.
The seven suspects were arrested in Rotterdam, Bergschenhoek, Oostvoorne, Ouderkerk aan den IJssel and Amsterdam. There were also raids in Hoogvliet, The Hague, Valkenburg (Limburg) and Denekamp.
Seized cars
In Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel there is a security unit at the business premises to ensure that the police officers who are inside can do their work safely. Several expensive cars have been seized in Bergschenhoek. Administrations of companies, laptops, telephones and other data carriers were also taken for research in several places.
This is important for money laundering investigations, where criminals try to cover up how they got their money. This can be done, for example, by depositing money into the account of a company in another country that checks less on the origin of the money or by making false accounts, making it seem as if a company has earned money when this money actually comes from, for example, drug trafficking. .
Evidence collected
The investigation into the criminal organization started two years ago when information came in about possible criminal activities. A financial team of the Rotterdam police set to work on this. On the basis of the collected evidence, the arrests and raids were made this morning.
The suspects will be interrogated as soon as possible. They are in limitations. This means that they are not allowed to have any contact with each other, or with their family, but only with their lawyer.
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