Cocaine seized in Antwerp behind Rotterdam shootings, explosion: report

A batch of 4,200 kilograms of cocaine seized by the Belgian police in the port of Antwerp last month, is the reason for multiple buildings being shot at and an explosion in Rotterdam over the past days, newspaper AD reports based on "multiple source within and outside the criminal environment".

The Antwerp drug bust resulted in the arrest of 14 suspects in Belgium, including several young people from Amsterdam and Rotterdam. According to the newspaper, all arrested Dutch suspects have a Surinamese or Antillean background. And the owners of the five homes and retail properties shot at, and the explosion on Jagthuisstraat, also all have a Surinamese background, the newspaper wrote.

According to AD's sources, the cocaine intercepted in Belgium was imported by an Amsterdam gang, but a total of four groups of criminals and two investors were involved in the import. The seizure of the drugs resulted in increased tensions in the drug world, both in the Dutch capital and an Rotterdam, the sources said.

"Those investors have lost their money. That may be the reason for the shootings in Rotterdam," AD quoted a 'well informed source'. "To intimidate them or warn them not to talk." Another source said: "A big batch of coke is gone. That has to be paid for."

The police did not yet make any statements about the possible background of the shootings and explosions. A large-scale investigation team is on the case.