Growth in the underworld is of major concern to northern provinces

The criminal underworld is increasingly mixing with daily life in the northern provinces of the Netherlands, Mayor Peter den Oudsten of Groningen, deputy chief prosecutor for northern Netherlands Gert Veurink and northern Tax office director Cor Zoontjies warn in Dagblad van het Noorden on Wednesday.

There are currently 15 ongoing cases in Drenthe, Groningen and Friesland that involve "subversive crime", including the one that led to a recent raid on the clubhouse of motorcycle gang No Surrender in Emmen. According to the newspaper, criminals are buying property in the northern provinces at a large scale, using money earned from drug trafficking and cannabis plantations.

According to prosecutor Veurink, criminals are trying to get a position of power in the north. "It's not yet as bad as in the south, but we see it more and more in our area. We have more and more cases where we lift a few stones and find a heap of misery."

The police, judiciary and tax service in the northern provinces and the municipality of Groningen are therefore starting to cooperate more closely together to fight against the rise in crime.