A large quantity of cocaine worth 250 million euros was seized near the Dutch-Belgian border; 8 people from 5 countries were arrested.
Dutch police seized 3,300 kilograms of cocaine valued at around 250 million euros during a massive raid on a warehouse in the town of Standdaarbuiten, part of the municipality of Moerdijk near the Belgian border. The operation took place on Monday morning and resulted in the arrest of eight suspects from five different countries, in one of the largest drug cases seen in the North Brabant region in recent years.
Among the detainees are three men from the city of Breda aged 21, 22, and 35, in addition to a 30-year-old Colombian man, a 38-year-old English man, a 41-year-old Moroccan man, a 50-year-old Bulgarian man, and a 47-year-old man from Roosendaal who was arrested later in the evening. The police also carried out additional searches at three locations in the city of Breda and one location in Roosendaal, without disclosing further details.
The authorities explained that the raid was based on intelligence information from abroad. The operation was carried out in cooperation between the National Detection and Intervention Unit and the Zeeland-West-Brabant Police Unit, under the supervision of the Dutch National Public Prosecution Office Landelijk Parket, which specializes in combating organized and serious crime.
In addition to cocaine, the police seized a firearm and several vehicles from the warehouse. The small town of Standdaarbuiten, home to about 2,200 residents, is located just 20 kilometers from the Belgian border and is less than an hour away from major ports like Rotterdam and Vlissingen, which are often exploited by international drug trafficking networks.
All eight defendants are currently being held in restricted solitary confinement, where they are only allowed to communicate with their lawyer. They are scheduled to appear in court for the first time on November 6, where the judge will decide whether to extend their detention for up to 14 days pending further investigations.
The police praised the seizure and described it as a major blow against organized crime. Authorities stated: "Drug trafficking is linked to violence, corruption, money laundering, and the infiltration of criminal networks into legitimate society. The seizure of this amount of cocaine and the arrest of those involved represent a clear message – we will continue to deliver strong blows against drug trafficking."