The Dutch police arrested four people on Wednesday, April 28. They're suspected of being involved in drug smuggling, especially to Scandinavia. It's thought that they used trucks transporting flowers to move these drugs. One suspect is a 42-year-old Dutchman. He will be prosecuted in the Netherlands. He was arraigned on Friday, April 30. He'll remain in custody for 14 days.
During the investigation, authorities already transferred a Dutch truck driver to Finland. There, he and another Dutchman will be prosecuted for a large number of drug runs. Messages sent via Encrochat played a role in the arrest of the four suspects.
Dutch, Finish, and Norwegian law enforcement collaborated on this case. In the Netherlands, three departments were involved. They are the District Criminal Investigation Department of Leiden, the regional criminal investigation department, and the International Legal Aid Centre.
Arraignment and extradition
The 42-year-old suspect was placed into custody by the court on Friday. Another Dutchman, this one 34, was arrested in Norway. The Netherlands has requested his extradition.
The two remaining suspects (45 and 54) are also Dutch. They've been detained, and Finland has requested their extradition. They'll be prosecuted there. There may be more arrests.
The Dutch Public Prosecutors Office is working with the police, municipalities, and Royal Flora Holland. Together, they want to make the floriculture sector more resilient to subversive crimes like drug smuggling.
Source: Openbaar Ministerie