Porters caught dealing drugs to guests at Amsterdam hotel

Three porters of the W Amsterdam hotel were arrested for selling drugs to guests at the hotel. They were caught in an undercover police action. The three were dismissed with immediate effect and will appear in court on Friday, AT5 reports.

Shortly after New Year, a guest reported to the hotel that the porters were dealing drugs. In May the hotel asked the police to investigate. Early in May two police officers spent five days observing the hotel employees. They stayed in a room with a view of the main entrance. They had access to a computer showing live footage of all the hotel's security cameras, and listened in on hotel staff through a portable radio, according to the broadcaster.

During their time at the hotel, the police noticed that the porters were very amicable with each other and taxi drivers. They saw packages being accepted a number of times, though it wasn't clear what was in the packages.

Two months later the Public Prosecutor gave permission for the officers to buy drugs from the suspects, in the interest of the investigation. The officers bought cocaine from three different porters on multiple occasions. The officers asked for "something fun", after which the porters delivered a package of drugs to the rooms.

The W Amsterdam hotel would not give AT5 a substantive reaction to the arrests. "We assisted the police in an investigation. As it is now in their hands, we cannot comment further. The safety of our customers and staff is our first priority", a spokesperson said to the broadcaster.

The lawyers representing the suspects called the police actions "provocative and steering", according to the broadcaster. "The file shows that they insisted with the suspects until drugs were actually delivered to them", one lawyer said to AT5. "The police may have gone too far, because they lured the suspects into selling drugs while they did not have the intention at all."