Irish-Dutch drug gang bust: Eight arrested in Amsterdam

The Amsterdam police arrested eight men in the Dutch capital on Wednesday in a large drug investigation with the Irish authorities. The suspects, four Dutch men, three Irish men and a Belgian, were arrested in different locations throughout the capital, the police said in a statement on Wednesday.

The police also seized over 150 thousand euros in cash, 175 kilograms of soft drugs, and a computer that generates bitcoins from two homes in Amsterdam Zuidoost.

The Amsterdam police tracked the suspects down after receiving a request for legal assistance from Ireland and launching their own investigation. The investigation and collaboration with the Irish authorities is still ongoing. "The cooperation with our Irish colleagues is very good. Our signal to foreign criminals is very emphatic. 'Amsterdam is not the place to be.' The person who does not understand this message, will be tracked down and handed over to the Irish authorities", Pim Jansonius of the Amsterdam police said.

A total of 13 suspects were arrested in this investigation and the Irish authorities seized around 7 million euros worth of cocaine and cannabis.