The 23 kilogrammes of cocaine destined to Rotterdam, but not before it was intercepted in St. Maarten by the local authorities. This led to two suspects being arrested and potentially facing serious prison time.
PHILIPSBURG --Dutch prosecutors are seeking prison sentences of up to 3.5 years for two Rotterdam men accused of using their positions at a port terminal to retrieve a shipment of cocaine that had first been intercepted by St. Maarten Customs earlier this year.
The 39-year-old Rotterdam resident faces a demand of 3.5 years in prison, while prosecutors are seeking three years, with 12 months suspended, for a 28-year-old Rotterdam resident. The two are accused of jointly importing 23 kilogrammes of cocaine.
The case was heard in the Netherlands on Friday, with the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) describing the investigation as the result of international cooperation between authorities in St. Maarten and the Netherlands.
According to the OM, both suspects had been temporarily assigned to work at a terminal in Rotterdam's Waalhaven. Prosecutors allege that they used that access to enter a container and retrieve sports bags containing what they believed to be cocaine. The investigation began months earlier in St. Maarten.
On April 18, St. Maarten Customs discovered 20 kilogrammes of cocaine during an inspection of an in-transit container vessel at Port St. Maarten. The cocaine was concealed in a sports bag inside an apparently empty container.
The vessel had departed from Curaçao and was travelling via St. Maarten, among other destinations, to the Netherlands. The container’s final destination was a terminal in Rotterdam’s Waalhaven. After the cocaine was discovered, the Prosecutor’s Office in St. Maarten authorised the use of special investigative powers and requested that Dutch authorities continue the investigation.
When the container reached the Netherlands on May 5, Dutch authorities and the HARC Team, a joint investigative team made up of Dutch Customs, the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), Seaport Police and the Dutch Public Prosecution Service, took over the operation.
Rather than allowing the original cocaine shipment to be collected, Dutch Customs replaced the sports bag with one containing dummy packages. According to prosecutors, investigators then watched as the container was unloaded and allegedly saw the two suspects retrieve the bag.
The men, who were working at the terminal, allegedly left the site with two sports bags and drove to a residence in Rotterdam’s Agniesebuurt. They later left the property but did not return to their vehicles. Police subsequently searched the vehicles and found two bags containing the dummy packages.
The OM says there is sufficient evidence to establish that the men were involved in the attempted retrieval and importation of the cocaine. Part of their actions was captured on security cameras, while information found on one suspect’s phone allegedly showed that he was familiar with the method used to place cocaine-filled bags inside empty containers and retrieve them later.
The prosecution also says the men eventually reported themselves to police because they feared reprisals from the criminal network behind the shipment. According to them, the hearing, the suspects were being pursued and wanted police and prosecutors to publicly confirm the drug seizure and the confiscation of their vehicles. The prosecutor said the men feared for their lives because of the significant value represented by the quantity of cocaine involved.
Prosecutors are seeking heavier punishment because the men allegedly exploited their positions within the port. The OM said this not only breached their employers’ trust but also undermined confidence in the Rotterdam port, where thousands of workers have legitimate roles.
The 39-year-old is facing the higher sentence demand because prosecutors say messages found on his phone indicate that he played a more directing role and was well aware of what he was involved in. He was also reportedly still serving a probationary period from an earlier suspended prison sentence.
The case was first made public in St. Maarten on June 30, when authorities announced that Customs had intercepted the 20-kilogramme shipment and that the seizure had resulted in two arrests in the Netherlands.
At that time, authorities said the narcotics had been destroyed and withheld further details because the investigation was still ongoing. The latest proceedings provide a clearer picture of what happened after the shipment left St. Maarten and how investigators used the intercepted cocaine to identify and track the suspects in the Netherlands.
The two men remain suspects and the prison sentences announced by the Dutch prosecution are demands rather than convictions. A court will ultimately determine whether they are guilty and what sentences, if any, will be imposed.
