Prosecutor must drop case against cops in Almelo cannabis investigation, court rules

The Public Prosecutor must immediately drop a criminal case against two police officers suspected of involvement in large-scale cannabis production and trade in Almelo, the court in Almelo ruled on Tuesday. Like the two cops' lawyers, the court found that there is no evidence or any reason to prosecute the two officers, NU.nl reports.

The court made this ruling even before the first pro-forma hearing in the case could take place on Tuesday. The Public Prosecutor suspected the two officers of belonging to a criminal network and violating their professional confidentiality by passing information on to their accomplices.

But the court concluded that there is no evidence of this. As a result the pro-forma hearing scheduled for Tuesday was immediately canceled. Whether the officers can now return to the police, is not yet clear. It is also unclear whether the Public Prosecutor will appeal. 

The Public Prosecutor charged 13 suspects in this case, including the two cops. Most of them were arrested during a large action in Almelo's Nieuwstraatkwartier in September. Earlier this week the Prosecutor announced that the authorities have another 36 suspects in their sights.