Explosive attacks, abduction in Netherlands linked to cocaine robbery in Antwerp

The authorities are investigating a possible link between a rip deal in Antwerp, in which 1,200 kilograms of cocaine was stolen, and explosions in Rotterdam and The Hague and an abduction in Utrecht, sources in the police and criminal circuit told AD. The sources name Ridouan Taghi’s family and criminals from Utrecht as the owners of the stolen drugs.

According to the newspaper, the container with the drugs arrived at the port of Antwerp late in August. An Eastern European trucker picked up the container and was driving it to a warehouse when a fast car with blue flashing lights stopped the truck. A group of men dressed as police officers knocked the driver unconscious, broke open the container, and made off with the 1,200 kilograms of cocaine. “You could easily make a Netflix series about this,” a police source told AD.

The Belgian police raided several locations in Antwerp and arrested a criminal nicknamed “Zotte Hakim,” according to the newspaper. They found police uniforms in his home, including items worn by the Dutch police, several sources told AD. The Belgian police also arrested two other suspects - the truck driver and an accomplice of Zotte Hakim.

A week after Zotte Hakim’s arrest, an explosive went off at his home in Antwerp. The violence also spread to the Netherlands, sources in the Dutch police and criminal circuit told AD. The Dutch police are investigating the link between the stolen cocaine and at least three violent incidents in the Netherlands.

In early September, an explosive went off at a home on Allard Piersonstraat in Rotterdam-West, causing a fire that sparked the evacuation of 40 residents. Last week, the police arrested three men on suspicion of involvement in the attack.

The second incident is an explosion at a homeless shelter on Assendelftstraat in The Hague, also earlier this month. The perpetrators broke a window on the ground floor and threw an explosive inside, which caused a fire. The fire brigade evacuated the residents. No arrests have been made so far.

The third incident is a criminal abduction in Utrecht, according to AD. Suspects kidnapped a man, who has a criminal record, in the Overvecht district and assaulted him in another location, allegedly holding him captive for several days. The victim refused to file a police report, the newspaper’s sources said.

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) told AD that it could not respond to its questions “in connection with the ongoing investigation.”