Almere man arrested for trafficking 900 kg of cocaine through Schiphol

A 48-year-old man was arrested at his home in Almere on Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in cocaine trafficking through Schiphol, the Koninklijke Marechaussee said. He is suspected of involvement in several shipments of cocaine totaling about 900 kilograms.

The Marechaussee searched the man's house and seized over 78,000 euros in cash and various data carriers. Investigators found photos of containers that are used at Schiphol for transporting goods by air freight on the data carriers.

The investigators suspect that the Almere man had close contact with employees of companies at Schiphol during his criminal activities. "If there is an indication that employees of companies at Schiphol are engaged in criminal activities, this will be further investigated," the Marechaussee said.

The evidence against this man largely comes from SKY and Encrochat accounts linked to the suspect. These are encrypted messaging services that the police managed to get into.

The Koninklijke Marechaussee is a policing force that works as part of the Dutch military. Among other things, it is responsible for security at the Netherlands' borders and ports, including airports.