The municipality of Hoogeveen has 316 car companies. Almost half of these are not findable, visible or professional, it is reported RTV Drenthe. This may indicate shady practices.
The Court of Audit has examined all car companies in the municipality of Hoogeveen. That is a surprising number, because Hoogeveen has one car company per 175 inhabitants. In the rest of the Netherlands, the average is one in 410 inhabitants. The researchers think this is a startling difference.
Organized crime
The Court of Audit conducted the investigation in Hoogeveen with a view to possible criminal activities in the car industry and is part of a larger report that focuses on undermining in Hoogeveen. This term is used for organized crime that infiltrates the ‘upper world’. This includes drug trafficking, cannabis cultivation or money laundering. According to the Court of Audit, these are activities that may also occur more often in the automotive industry.
Invisibility may be a signal for shady practices
To see whether companies may be engaged in these activities in Hoogeveen, they were tested for visibility by two leading agencies on behalf of the Court of Audit. This was done based on the idea that companies want to be found by customers, because that is how they generate sales. The more invisible the company, the greater the chance that the company may be involved in shady practices.
‘Not all shady’
According to the report, half of the car companies have an insufficient score RTV Drenthe Not necessarily that they are all shady, but it can give the idea that something is going on. According to the broadcaster, the suspicions are shared by police and experts. Discussions have been held about this. “It’s rattling on all sides and doesn’t feel good, but we can’t put our finger on it,” says an expert quoted in the report on the issue.
Two categories
Many car companies do not invite visitors to visit, according to the report. It is messy or there are dangerous dogs, according to the report. Some of the companies are also closed during the week, which, according to the researchers, raises the question of what keeps them open.
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