Police arrest 3 more in Breda kidnapping linked to drug feud
Dutch police arrested three more men early Tuesday morning in connection with the violent kidnapping and assault of a 24-year-old man in Breda, bringing the total number of suspects in the case to seven. Police investigators believe the crime is part of a growing pattern of violence tied to a long-running conflict within the criminal underworld, driven by a drug-related dispute in the region.
An arrest team took the three suspects into custody during the early hours of April 29. According to police, they are a 21-year-old man from Made, a 24-year-old man from Roosendaal, and a 20-year-old man from Breda.
All three are being held under full restrictions, which means they are permitted to speak only with their lawyers. They are expected to appear before an examining magistrate later this week.
The abduction took place in the early morning hours between Friday, January 31, and Saturday, February 1, on the Dr. Schaepmanlaan in Breda. The victim, a 24-year-old man from the city, was forcibly taken by a group of individuals wearing balaclavas and carrying weapons. He was forced into a van and disappeared without a trace.
The police immediately launched a large-scale search to find the man alive. Approximately 24 hours later, the victim — injured — reported himself to the police.
Based on the investigation so far, police said the abduction appears to be “an escalation within a conflict in the underworld,” and emphasized that this is likely not the first act of violence stemming from the ongoing feud. In a statement, the force said it has “done everything possible in recent months to break the spiral of violence.”
Two days after the kidnapping, on February 3, police arrested a 24-year-old man from Zundert. In the following days, three more men from Breda were arrested: aged 24, 26, and 37. Of those four, the two 24-year-old suspects are still in custody. The 26-year-old and the 37-year-old have since been released but remain official suspects in the case. This brings the total number of men arrested in the investigation to seven. All are suspected of involvement in the kidnapping and abuse of the victim.
