Bounty placed on cop’s life leads to several arrests

Several people were arrested last week after death threats were made against a police officer involved in a drug investigation. A criminal group promised “tens of thousands of euros for information about the officer,” according to a police report.

The alleged criminal group threatened to kill the officer in messages published online.

“The Police and the Public Prosecutor’s office take the threat very seriously. Security measures to protect the officer were undertaken,” police said.

An unnamed social media platform was used to solicit information about the officer from the Zeeland-West-Brabant region. The officer, who works both in uniform and in plainclothes, was involved in a raid in Bergen op Zoom, Noord-Brabant. The raid was connected to a drug investigation, police said.

Afterwards several people shared information about the officer online.

“The statements of the suspects show that people are not always aware of the effects and risks of sharing information on social media,” police said.

The investigation led to several arrests last week. The detained suspects’ role in the case was still under investigation on Thursday.

More arrests in the case were possible, police added.