A theft of 1,400 kilograms of cocaine in the port of Antwerp has led to weeks of hostage-taking, assaults and shootings in the crime scene in the Netherlands, Belgium and Dubai .
The cargo was in a container in a truck that was robbed in the border region on August 29 by criminals disguised as police officers.
According to inside sources, the cargo was owned by two notorious criminal groups in the Netherlands operating from Dubai, plus Serbs, Albanians and Brazilians.
One of the investors in the transport is said to be the family of Ridouan Taghi .
The carrier was allegedly tortured after arriving at the agreed destination without the cocaine. He admitted to playing a double game.
In Belgium, possible people involved were arrested during the searches, including 'Zotte Hakim' el M.
Police uniforms were found on him, which raised suspicions that he may have been involved in the robbery. EM, has been arrested together with two suspects. On September 6, his house was attacked.
Meanwhile, parts of the stolen series appeared on the market in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, as if to cause the anger of the robbed "investors". In the Netherlands and Dubai, criminals associated with the robberies were taken hostage and abused.
In Dubai, a man from Amsterdam in his thirties was held prisoner, gagged and severely abused for hours.
The police eventually managed to free him. A relative's home in Wormerveer was shot after the Amsterdam resident reported the hostage-taking and attack in Dubai. The Dutchman was considered a middleman for drug lords.
In Rijsenhout and Hoofddorp, it was shot in the house of former owner Gaby H. in the house of a confidant of H. in Aalsmeer.
Then a criminal was held hostage in Utrecht for days. He was also allegedly abused and released less than a week after giving the information to his captors.
Another known criminal in Utrecht was reportedly initially detained after he offered 'blocks' of the cocaine stash for sale.
The criminals were held for short periods in Rotterdam, Morocco and Dubai, writes Het Parool. In Morocco, it is about three Moroccan hostages, one of whom is still kidnapped.
Two buildings were shot up in Rotterdam. There have also been incidents in The Hague, as it is suspected that residents of The Hague were also involved in the theft.