Main suspect in Peter R. de Vries murder was trying to establish a Polish mafia

Five Polish suspects involved in a major criminal case in a court in Zwolle were allegedly directed by one of the main suspects in the murder of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, who was gunned down in Amsterdam on 6 July 2021. According to a witness with the code name 5089 in that case, Krystian M., who allegedly helped organize De Vries’s assassination, brought the five suspects to The Hague to establish a "Polish mafia." This information came to light during the first court hearing for the 26Woltz case on Friday.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, a special arrest unit raided a house on Middachtenweg in The Hague in October 2021, following an anonymous tip. A weapon was found in the bedroom of Krystian M., a 28-year-old Polish man who allegedly coordinated the assassination and hired Delano G. to shoot the crime reporter only hours before it happened. He is also believed to have directed the five Polish men involved in the Zwolle criminal case, known as 26Woltz.

Witness 5089 stated that Krystian M. was tasked with building up a Polish mafia network as the right-hand man of "the boss." His responsibilities included acquiring weapons and distributing money. He was specifically responsible for bringing Polish individuals Pawel J. and Robert M. to The Hague, according to the witness. The Public Prosecution Service office alleged that the group was involved in multiple assaults and an attempted assassination. Information obtained from mobile phones found at the residence led to investigations into a failed assassination attempt in the Dominican Republic and a large weapons cache in Alphen aan den Rijn, in the province of Zuid-Holland.

Pawel J. was arrested by police on the A12 highway during the night of January 20-21, 2022. A rifle, pistol, and ammunition were discovered in the trunk of his rented Opel Corsa. His voice, as well as that of Robert M., was recognized by interpreters from camera footage of a fire at a business premises in Best in August 2021. DNA from both men was found in a stolen car abandoned at the scene. Pawel J. claimed that the evidence against him had been fabricated, vehemently denying the witness's statements and saying, "It's all lies, I’ve had enough of this."

Both Pawel J. and Robert M., along with a third suspect, were also allegedly dispatched armed with axes to Groningen on December 7, 2021, to assault a real estate entrepreneur who owed one of their bosses a million euros. Police tipped off the entrepreneur, who promptly vacated his business premises. Robert M. admitted accepting the assignment but claimed he never intended to carry out the assault.

Multiple court dates have been scheduled for the criminal case, with the Public Prosecution Service set to present their demands on Monday.

The case against the suspects in De Vries’s assassination continues with a pre-trial hearing on September 5. The trial against the suspects will likely only happen next year. Suspected gunman Delano G. and getaway driver Kamil E. already stood trial, but the authorities arrested new suspects just before the ruling, which was postponed. The court eventually ordered a retrial because one of the judges relocated in the meantime and to fold in the new suspects