Cocaine trafficking suspect arrested for murders of former pro football players
Police in Almere arrested a 53-year-old man on suspicion of involvement in the 2019 murders of Kelvin Maynard in Amsterdam and Genciël Feller in Curaçao. The suspect, identified by multiple media outlets as Piet W., was accused by police of being involved in "large-scale cocaine trafficking."
W. was reportedly convicted in 2014 in a drug trafficking case, and served three years of a seven-year prison sentence. He managed to escape, but he was captured in Aruba in March. He was serving out the rest of his sentence with an ankle monitor when he was arrested in an Almere home on Tuesday. Seven other locations were also raided, including two homes and a hotel in Amsterdam, and business premises in Amsterdam, Almere, Diemen and Rotterdam.
Piet W. will appear before an examining magistrate on Friday, police said. He can be remanded into custody for up to 14 more days while the investigation continues, a term which can be extended further in a later hearing.
Feller and Maynard were both rumored to have stolen 400 kilograms of cocaine from Piet W. The two and their accomplices reportedly had to store illegal drugs on behalf of a criminal underworld figure, but when the cocaine went missing Feller was suddenly flashing a great deal of cash, Parool reported at the time.
Violent killings in 2019
Feller, a 23-year-old from Amsterdam, was gunned down in Willemstad, Curaçao on 2 September 2019. He was hiding out there after he survived a previous attempt on his life weeks earlier on Dokkumlaan in Almere. His attorney, Bart Hartman, was rattled by the murder. "I know which criminal circuit he found himself in, but he was also a boy with a lot of feelings. I liked him and his death affects me. If he had grown up in another neighborhood, he might not have made the wrong decisions," he said soon after the death.
Three people were convicted for killing Feller. Two of them were given 20-year prison terms, while a third received 16 years behind bars.
Sixteen days after Feller's murder, Kelvin Maynard was shot while driving his car on Langbroekdreef in Amsterdam. He then crashed his car into a fire station in the area at high speed. Firefighters tried to give him CPR and stabilize him, but the 32-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspects, dressed in dark clothing and driving a black fled the scene. Three people were eventually detained by investigators, but were later released. Police said they were no longer considered suspects in the case.
Investigators eventually link the killings
Police and prosecutors finally came forward this past August to say they believed the two assassinations were related. They offered a 20,000 euro reward to anyone providing the key piece of information that led to the arrest of the person who ordered the killings.
After W. was captured in Aruba, newspaper AD published rumors that he once vowed to "shoot anyone who enjoyed the proceeds" of the theft of his cocaine. That may have been a reference to Feller, Maynard and other possible accomplices who may have taken the cocaine consignment in the months before the two men were killed.
W.'s attorney at the time, Adam Doesburg, told AD that the rumor was "utter nonsense." He said, "My client denies any involvement in these matters and he is concerned about the consequences these unsubstantiated statements might have for him and his loved ones."
Piet W.'s connection to the Dutch royal family and Suriname politics
During the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, W. and another alleged drug criminal, Frank U., posed for photographs with the current king, Willem-Alexander. The picture was taken when Willem-Alexander was still a prince. With them is Maxima, the current queen.
#PietWortel rechts van #Maxima en #WillemAlexander
— Spic & Span (@IRT_DELTA) October 11, 2022
Beruchte Surinaamse drugshandelaar Piet W. gearresteerd https://t.co/psVX4htR8c via @telegraaf pic.twitter.com/4oCCrlZDaJ
Less than two years later, W. was arrested in Barcelona ahead of a Champions League match. Several other people were arrested in Spain and the Netherlands in connection with the drug trafficking investigation.
Then in September 2012, NOS reported on documents regarding the investigation into W. It detailed bugged conversations in which Wortel alleged that he asked Suriname's president, Desi Bouterse, for help after a plane loaded with hundreds of kilograms of cocaine made an emergency landing in Suriname. For assistance, he reportedly claimed that Bouterse and his son, Dino, made sure the drugs were removed and the plane was set on fire. Bouterse reportedly demanded a payment of 200 kilograms of cocaine for the service.
Bouterse's press office at the time denounced the allegation. "This story is just a distraction, but the Netherlands will not succeed in taking us off our path. The president is working hard on the development of the country," a spokesperson said to media outlets in Suriname.
Piet W.'s attorney at the time, Inez Weski, also strongly denied the allegation that Desi Bouterse was connected to the case. Weski currently represents Ridouan Taghi, who is on trial for allegedly running a massive international drug empire, and a string of assassinations linked to the criminal underworld.
