Evidence proves at least 18 deaths linked to designer drug site Funcaps, prosecutor says
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) has evidence to prove that 18 people died due to drugs they bought on the banned website Funcaps, the prosecutor said during a preliminary hearing in the court in Zwolle on Thursday. The two owners of Funcaps, Jord van W. (32) and Stefan P. (30), are suspected of illegal trade in medicines, NU.nl reports from inside the courtroom.
The OM previously said it was investigating 58 deaths that may be linked to substances purchased on Funcaps. On Thursday, the prosecutor said that there is enough evidence to prove this in 18 cases.
The Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) is still busy with its investigation into another four deaths. So these deaths may still be added to the charges. For the other cases, the OM doesn’t have enough “hard evidence” to establish a link with Funcaps, the prosecutor said.
The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) took Funcaps offline last summer. Van W. from Ulestraten and P from Valkenburg were arrested with a third suspect in August 2025. The third suspect has since been released from custody.
According to the OM, these men generated a turnover of €42 million with the illegal sale of medicines since opening Funcaps in July 2020. They sold substances for anxiety and sleep problems, among other things, that are highly addictive and harmful or even fatal if incorrectly dosed. Some of the substances they sold required a permit; others were completely banned by an amendment to the Opium Act on July 1, 2025.
The two Dutchmen were also prosecuted in Belgium, with the court there sentencing them to three years in prison, half of which is suspended, for illegally selling designer drugs. The Belgian court also imposed a €600,000 fine on the company and ordered Van W. and P. to pay €50,000 each.
