Money laundering: Two arrested at Schiphol with total €275,000 in cash

Two airline passengers were arrested separately at Schiphol Airport this month carrying a combined total of about 275 thousand euros in cash. Both men were caught at airport security checkpoints, and neither had a valid reason for holding the money, authorities said.

The first suspect is a 38-year-old Ukranian man who was found with 195 thousand dollars (€174,600) in a plastic bag inside his backpack. He was destined for Ecuador, but was taken into custody on March 1, said the Marechausseee, the military branch tasked with protecting Dutch borders and airports.

Then on March 4 officers caught the second suspect, a 41-year-old from Woerden, Utrecht, who was on his way to Romania. He was carrying over a hundred thousand euros in cash inside his hand luggage and clothing, the Marechaussee stated. He was detained by customs officials and transferred to the police.

“Neither man could give a good explanation about the origin of the money, and they were arrested for money laundering,” the Marechaussee said. “The money has been seized.”

An investigation into the source of the cash is ongoing.