English-language coverage of organized crime news from the Netherlands.
Dutch drug crime is escalating: 32 suspects remain held for the Overasselt shooting, while a Pointer investigation reveals criminals taking over vulnerable tenants' homes in 50+ municipalities. For expats, this means knowing your housing rights and reporting suspicious activity to protect your residence permit.
Dutch police arrested seven men and seized 3,800 kg of illegal heavy fireworks from Germany as part of a zero-tolerance policy after the August 1 fireworks ban. Only light F1 fireworks are now allowed. Anyone caught with illegal fireworks risks arrest, a criminal record, and potential immigration consequences.
Dutch police have identified 55 suspects linked to cocaine trafficking from Colombia, including two key brokers arrested in February. The investigation uncovered plans to kidnap the girlfriend of a man who stole a €700,000 cocaine shipment, and extortion of over 1,000 clients of the sex work website Kinky. Pre-trial hearings began in Zwolle on August 24.