Drieënhalf jaar cel voor Nederlander vanwege drugssmokkel

2024 saw an increase of more than 50 percent in the number of reports to Meld Misdaad Anoniem (Report Crime Anonymously, M.) regarding attacks, raw materials for explosives and the storage and trade of illegal fireworks. Annual figures show that the anonymous reporting hotline received a record number of 777 tips about these issues. Overall, reporters submitted 24,201 tips to M. last year, an increase of 19 percent compared to the year before. Feedback from police shows that at least 3,372 suspects were tracked down following anonymous tips.Half of the reports are related to drug crimes. Last year, the hotline received 12,307 reports (+4%) regarding international drug trafficking, drug labs, cannabis cultivation and drug trade in public or out of residences. In second place are violent crimes, such as public violence, domestic violence and animal abuse: 2,558 reports (+25%) were made regarding these issues. In addition, M. received a total of 2,087 tips in response to search notices in 2024, an increase of 18 percent.Record number of tips on explosivesTypical for the past year was the large number of incidents involving explosions in homes and at businesses. The explosion of a drug lab in Rotterdam-Zuid and the deadly attack with explosives in an apartment building in The Hague were the two most shocking cases, however, cities and neighbourhoods were tormented by explosions on an almost daily basis. This was clearly visible at Meld Misdaad Anoniem, as the number of tips about these incidents increased by more than 50%. “Explosions have a major impact on the safety in residential areas. The large number of incidents lead to a sense of insecurity. For many people, this is an important motivation to report on these incidents. People in The Netherlands were regularly confronted with images of destroyed and uninhabitable homes, often caused by heavy illegal fireworks. Over the past year, this happened in many different locations, sometimes resulting in serious injuries and even in deaths. We notice that these images are etched in people's minds and this contributes to the willingness to report,” according to a spokesperson for the hotline.Hardening of societyThe police report ‘Fenomeenbeeld Geweld’ (a strategic report to understand the nature and scope of violent crimes) shows that a significant number of attacks with explosives are not linked to criminal activities, but arise from conflicts and arguments among people that are fought out publicly. The general hardening of society, in which people pursue their own goals without taking others into consideration, was also visible at M. in other areas. For example, the number of reports on firearms doubled (531 tips) and there was an increase of 25% in the number of reports regarding violence. Within this category, the following statistics stood out: assault (492 reports, +38%), vandalism (113 reports, +49%) and animal abuse (707 reports, +30%). The number of tips in this last category has never been this high before. This development is worrying, since experts claim that animal abuse can be an indicator of other problems in society, such as violence against people.Reporting is effectiveAccording to police, at least 3,372 suspects were tracked down last year following tips to M.  Furthermore, anonymous reports led to the confiscation of 756 weapons. Police also seized a large number of stolen goods. For instance, a stolen food truck was retrieved in a warehouse in Bergen, Limburg; four stolen boats were found in Den Helder and police tracked down two dealers in stolen cargo bikes in Wassenaar. Once again last year, M. tips contributed to the conviction of perpetrators of serious crimes. Four men and a woman were sentenced to a maximum of four years in prison for large-scale banking helpdesk fraud. Dozens of elderly victims were called by their alleged ‘bank’ and tricked into sharing their PIN code. The group came to light after tips were received following investigation reports on a case in Eemnes. The victim handed over her bank card, jewellery and a 16th century painting, after which a large sum of money disappeared from her account. Eventually, dozens of reports from victims could be linked to the gang.In addition, five men were sentenced to between 24 and 28 months in prison for their involvement in a professional amphetamine lab in a cheese warehouse in Hengelo. The potential street value of all raw materials upon production would have been around 14 million euros. The same warehouse was used for the storage of cheeses for the cheese trade. Tests indicated that some of these cheeses contained traces of speed.In another case, two men were sentenced to 4 and 4,5 years in prison for producing amphetamine in a drug lab in Oldebroek. They must also repay almost 97,000 euros to the State - the amount they earned from the drug production. The court in The Hague sentenced a man to 4,5 years in prison for laundering bitcoins and drug trafficking via the dark web. The man was unable to provide an explanation for bitcoins worth 613,000 euros that were deposited into his account over a period of more than a year.

In de Rechtbank Overijssel heeft een 26-jarige Zwollenaar in de week van 20 januari een werkstraf en een geldboete opgelegd gekregen voor zijn aandeel in drugshandel eind 2023. Naar aanleiding van M.-tips kwam de man in beeld bij de politie, die vervolgens een onderzoek startte. Op 8 december 2023 werd de man aangehouden vanwege drugshandel vanuit zijn voertuig.Ook de woning van de Zwollenaar werd onderzocht door agenten. Daar werden handelshoeveelheden cocaïne, MDMA en hasj aangetroffen. Daarnaast werden er meerdere mobiele telefoons en €2.380 aan contant geld in beslag genomen. “De hoeveelheden drugs die zijn aangetroffen zijn echt fors”, concludeert de officier van justitie. “Meer dan genoeg om u naar de gevangenis te sturen. Ik geef u het voordeel van de twijfel.”  De politierechter legt de man een taakstraf van 120 uur met een geldboete van 1000 euro op.  

De rechtbank Overijssel heeft op 18 april een 57-jarige vrouw veroordeeld tot een taakstraf van 140 uur en een voorwaardelijke gevangenisstraf van zes maanden wegens het bezit en verhandelen van harddrugs.  Naar aanleiding van een M.-tip is in de periode van 30 juni 2023 tot en met 2 juli 2023, met toestemming van de officier van justitie een camera geplaatst met zicht op de voordeur van de woning van de vrouw. Op de camerabeelden werden twintig tot dertig kortstondige bezoeken aan de woning geconstateerd, veelal door drugsverslaafden. Op basis van de beelden besloot de politie op 4 juli 2023 de woning te doorzoeken. Hierbij werden er handelshoeveelheden cocaïne, heroïne en meerdere telefoons aangetroffen. Alle goederen zijn in beslag genomen door de politie.