Two arrested for selling laughing gas without permits, money laundering

The police arrested two men from Den Bosch and Boxtel for illegally transferring laughing gas (nitrous oxide) from large cylinders to small cylinders for sale to private users without the proper permits. They also face money laundering charges, the police said.

The Netherlands will criminalize the trade in and possession of nitrous oxide in January. But it is already illegal to transfer the gas to small cylinders for selling to private users without permits, the police said. The police suspect the two men have been doing just that through a company in ‘s-Hertogenbosch for years and have laundered the criminally earned money, likely through a car rental company.

On Monday, investigators raided nine buildings in Den Bosch and Boxtel, including a business property where the police found a large batch of nitrous oxide earlier this year and the car rental company suspected of involvement in money laundering. The suspects’ homes were also searched.

The police seized the car rental company’s entire fleet, three homes, various bank accounts, and a large sum of cash. “Seizing criminally earned money is an important part of the fight against subversive crime,” the police said.

The suspects, a 31-year-old from Den Bosch and a 32-year-old from Boxtel, are in custody for further investigation.