Man arrested at Schiphol for financing crane used to smuggle 3,000 kg of cocaine

A man suspected of funding a major portion of a scheme to traffic thousands of kilograms of cocaine was arrested at Schiphol Airport on Sunday. Officers from the Marechaussee took the 46-year-old from Zwijndrecht, Zuid-Holland, into custody at the airport on suspicion of drug trafficking.

Investigators believe he is the financier of a telescopic crane that which was used to hide about 3,100 kilograms of cocaine. The crane was inspected and seizend in Moerdijk, Noord-Brabant, last June.

Drugs were hidden in a large telescopic crane which had been brought into the country via the Port of Antwerp. The drugs had a street value of 220 million euros, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) reported at the time.

The Seaport police of the Zeeland-West Brabant district police office had already launched an investigation into suspicious activities at a company in Moerdijk that imports heavy equipment from South America to the Netherlands.

Shortly after the drugs were found, police arrested three men including the owner of the Moerdijk company. They were identified as a 64-year-old from Oosterhout, a 43-year-old from Westmaas, and a 32-year-old from Cambodia. One of them was found holding 20,000 euros in cash. Subsequent raids on two commercial properties and two homes also uncovered a firearm and ammunition.

The suspect arrested at Schiphol Airport over the weekend remained in jail on Wednesday morning. He is scheduled to appear in front of the examining magistrate later this week. Many items from his home have also been seized, like digital devices, jewelry, administrative paperwork, and a car.