Fugitive mastermind behind €70 million Schiphol diamond heist arrested on Ibiza

A convict wanted for a diamond heist at Schiphol airport in 2005 was arrested on Ibiza on Tuesday, sources told the Telegraaf. Errol H.V. (59) was sentenced on appeal in 2021 to 9.5 years in prison for the theft and still has to serve most of that sentence. According to the newspaper, he is considered the mastermind behind the theft of 70 million euros worth of diamonds - the largest diamond heist in Dutch history. Virtually none of the stolen diamonds have been recovered.

People close to H.V. told the Telegraaf that the Spanish police forced the convict off the road on the island on Tuesday afternoon and took him into custody. He had been living in Ibiza for some time. The Dutch authorities wouldn’t confirm the arrest to the newspaper.

The first ruling in this case was in 2019. Of the seven suspects arrested during the lengthy investigation, including undercover operations in several countries, the court convicted four men, acquitted two, and one had died. H.V. was sentenced to seven years in prison. The suspects appealed, and in 2020, they were released from jail to await the appeal in freedom.

In 2021, the Court of Appeal again convicted the four suspects. The court sentenced them in absentia, imposing prison of up to 9 years and six months. The two main suspects - H.V. and Marlon D. - went into cassation against the appeal ruling, and again, the court didn’t order them into custody, according to the newspaper. In October 2023, the Supreme Court finally confirmed the ruling, and arrest warrants went out for them.

Marlon D. was arrested in Amsterdam in December, and H.V.’s arrest followed on Tuesday after a months-long hunt by FastNL, the Dutch police team focused on finding fugitives, the Teelgraaf’s sources said. It is not yet clear when H.V. will be extradited to the Netherlands. According to the Telegraaf, he still has to serve about 6.5 years of his sentence.