Massive €250 million cocaine bust near Dutch-Belgian border; 8 arrested from 5 countries
Dutch authorities seized 3,300 kilos of cocaine in a warehouse in Standdaarbuiten in the municipality of Moerdijk on Monday morning, arresting eight men from five different countries in one of the largest drug busts in recent years in Noord-Brabant, police reported. The cocaine is estimated to be worth around 250 million euros, according to Omroep Brabant.
The suspects include three men from Breda, aged 21, 22, and 35; a 30-year-old man from Colombia; a 38-year-old man from England; a 41-year-old man from Morocco; a 50-year-old man from Bulgaria; and a 47-year-old man from Roosendaal, who was arrested later in the evening. Additional searches were conducted at three locations in Breda and one in Roosendaal, though authorities have not disclosed any further findings.
Officials said the operation was prompted by information from abroad. The National Detection and Intervention Unit, working closely with the Zeeland-West-Brabant unit, carried out the raid under the direction of the Landelijk Parket, the Dutch National Public Prosecutor’s Office for serious and organized crime.
“Drug production and trafficking are closely linked to killings, violence, threats, corruption, money laundering, and the overlap of criminal networks with legitimate society. That is why it is crucial to crack down on criminal networks involved in drug importation, production, and trade,” authorities said.
In addition to the cocaine, police confiscated a firearm and multiple vehicles from the Standdaarbuiten warehouse. The village, home to 2,230 residents, is located about 20 kilometers north of the Belgian border, roughly 45 kilometers from the Port of Rotterdam, and 85 kilometers from the Port of Vlissingen.
All eight men are being held in restricted custody, allowed only to communicate with their attorneys. They are scheduled for an initial hearing on Nov. 6, when an examining magistrate may remand them to jail for up to 14 days before an arraignment at a district court.
Police described the seizure as a significant blow to criminal networks in the region. “The drugs, the firearm, and the vehicles are all now in police custody,” officials said.
