Dutch drug lord Janus van W. jailed amid alleged plot to kill him over Netflix series
Janus van W., the 63-year-old drug trafficker whose criminal career inspired the popular Netflix series Undercover, has been arrested in Eindhoven amid reports that he was the target of a murder conspiracy tied to longstanding rivalries in the Brabant underworld, AD reports.
According to multiple sources familiar with the criminal milieu, Van W. discovered the plan to kill him when the suspected hitman approached him directly. In response, he wrote a handwritten letter accusing the man authorities believe orchestrated the scheme: Hans van der V., a 70-year-old former synthetic drug pioneer known by the alias “De Uil.”
“Your revolver, Hans, with which you want to have me shot dead,” Van W. wrote in blue pen. In a photograph that has circulated for months among criminal circles in Brabant, the letter appeared displayed next to a revolver and three USB drives. Two of the drives were marked with handwritten notes referencing multiple payments of thousands of euros, allegedly linked to the murder arrangement.
At the end of the letter, Van W. denied claims that he ever cooperated with law enforcement, an accusation apparently fueled by the Netflix dramatization of his life. “A made-up story,” he wrote. “I would rather die than be a traitor. So you’re going to kill me over a shitty series? Idiot.”
The backdrop to the conflict stretches back decades. Van W. built his reputation in the 1980s smuggling hashish from Morocco and later trafficking thousands of kilos of ecstasy. Over the past year, he has repeatedly clashed with Netflix over the series’ portrayal of him, filing lawsuits demanding the streaming service acknowledge that he was the model for the fictional drug lord Ferry Bouman, played by Dutch actor Frank Lammers.
Hans van der V. was convicted in 2013 to six and a half years in prison for his role in two major drug cartels. In recent months, his home in Leenderstrijp, a rural village near Eindhoven, has been attacked multiple times. In October and December, firework bombs exploded at his residence. A separate blast, believed to be a mistake, damaged a neighboring property.
Although the local mayor ordered security cameras installed on the street, the monitoring equipment was removed just two weeks before the most recent assault. In that incident, someone fired at the house, leaving two bullet holes in the shutters. Investigators believe the weapon was likely loaded with buckshot. Following the shooting, authorities ordered Van der V. to vacate the home for six months.
Neither Van W. nor Van der V. has publicly acknowledged any conflict. Van der V., through his attorney, declined to comment on the alleged dispute or whether he received the letter accusing him of planning the killing. Van W.’s lawyer also refused to discuss “rumors circulating in Eindhoven,” stating that the defense is focusing on the separate drug trafficking case for which Van W. was recently arrested. Justice authorities declined to comment on the situation.
Police sources confirmed to AD that officers intervened months ago due to rising tensions between the two men. In March, both were summoned for so-called “stop conversations,” formal warnings instructing them to stand down.
Meanwhile, Van W. has remained under investigation by the national police service. Prosecutors say decrypted communications connect him and a co-suspect to crystal meth production and cocaine sales, with offenses dating back several years.
Van W. was apprehended Monday in Eindhoven’s city center, while his associate was arrested two days later. Law enforcement officials said the arrests were initially planned for later this year but were moved forward because of escalating violence in the Brabant underworld.
