Three human trafficking arrests tied to illegal drugs found in Turkey earthquake aid

Three people were arrested in The Hague on Monday on suspicion of exploiting four Turkish truck drivers during the aid operation to help people affected by the massive earthquake in Turkey early last year. The investigation against them was launched after drugs were discovered in a truck with relief supplies heading to the earthquake-affected area, the Labor Inspectorate told Omroep WNL’s true crime podcast Het Misdaadbureau.

On 6 February 2023, there was a massive earthquake in Syria and Turkey, killing thousands of people and leaving large parts of southern Turkey in devastation. The Turkish community in the Netherlands started collecting relief supplies en masse to drive to Turkey in trucks.

According to the Labor Inspectorate’s investigation service, that’s when the Dutch suspects approached four Turkish men. They recruited them to drive aid supplies to Turkey. One day, while loading the trucks, the drivers discovered packages containing what appeared to be narcotics.

The truckers decided to go to the police, who confirmed that there were indeed drugs in the packages and launched an investigation. The police also had concerns about the Turkish men’s working conditions, so they called in the Labor Inspectorate to investigate. That led to the arrest of three people in The Hague on Monday.

The suspects are accused of exploiting illegally employed Turkish truck drivers in an organized context, the Labor Inspectorate’s investigation service told the podcast. According to the authorities, they forced the truckers to work extremely long hours for too little wages.

During the arrests on Monday, the authorities also seized cash, digital data carriers, and a house.