Amsterdam cops stop cargo bike and find cannabis haul, €400,000

The Amsterdam police arrested two people suspected of drug trafficking and seized a large amount of cannabis and some 400,000 euros in cash on Friday, May 20. All this was made possible by one of the suspects skipping a red light on his cargo bike, the police said on Thursday.

At around 11:30 a.m. on May 20, the police noticed a man on an electric cargo bike driving through the red light on Veemkade at high speed. The cops pulled him over, checked his identity, and asked if they could look inside the cargo bike, which was covered with tarpaulin. There was a bag inside which smelled strongly of cannabis.

"The man admitted to carrying a bag of weed, but the officers were suspicious given the strong smell," the police said. They checked the bag and found a large amount of cannabis and pre-rolled joints. "Because it was clear that these drugs were not for personal use, the man was arrested." The suspect is a 46-year-old from Amsterdam.

The police sent plain-clothes officers to keep an eye on the suspect's house. Less than ten minutes after they arrived, they saw a man leaving the house with several large bags. The officers walked past him and smelled cannabis. They stopped the man, checked the bags, and again found a considerable amount of cannabis and rolled joints. The cops arrested the 47-year-old man from Amsterdam and took him to a police station.

After getting permission from the Public Prosecution Service, the police searched the 46-year-old suspect's home and found more soft drugs and several thousand euros in cash. When checking the balcony, one of the officers spotted a bag on the balcony below them. "More than likely, this bag was thrown down by one of those present in the house. The bag was bone dry while everything around it was wet from the rain," the police said.

The police retrieved the bat and found almost 400,000 euros inside. They seized the money and soft drugs. 

The two suspects appeared in court on Tuesday and were released from custody. They remain suspects in this case, and the investigation is ongoing, the police said.