Prosecutors demanding nearly €100 million from convicted drug baron
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) wants to confiscate 99 million euros from convicted drug baron Piet S. from The Hague. The 68-year-old man and his gang earned that money through years of drug trafficking, the OM said in court on Tuesday, asking for permission to seize the amount, NOS reports.
Last year, the court convicted S. of leading a large criminal organization that smuggled drugs all over the world. S. and his co-defendants were found guilty of trafficking large quantities of cocaine, hash, amphetamine, crystal meth, heroin, and ecstasy, bribing customs offers and port employees, and using eight companies to launder drug money. The court sentenced S. to 17 years in prison. The case is currently on appeal.
In a separate case, the OM is now trying to seize criminal earnings from S. and members of his gang. According to the Prosecutor, the hundreds of thousands of euros in cash, expensive cars, luxury watches, boats, and real estate in Spain, among other things, that the police seized while investigating the gang show that they made millions with drug trafficking.
The authorities weren’t able to find all the money S. and his gang made through years of drug trafficking - the OM believes he has a large part of his assets hidden somewhere. But the OM still wants to confiscate this money. The seized goods and real estate serve as an advance.
The court will rule later this year on whether the OM can confiscate the entire 99 million euros.
