Dutch police investigating 49 Funcaps-related deaths; Owners also prosecuted in Belgium
The Dutch authorities are investigating a total of 49 deaths linked to pharmaceuticals bought on the illegal online store Funcaps, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) revealed on Monday. The two Dutch owners are also facing prosecution in Belgium and have to appear in the Antwerp court of appeal on January 21 next year, NOS reports.
In the Dutch case, the OM has firmly connected 27 deaths to Funcaps - these victims likely died from substances bought from the company. In addition, the authorities were investigating 18 new deaths, and four more cases were added over the weekend. “Among the deceased were young adults and minors with their lives ahead of them, some suicidal, some only trying to feel better,” the prosecutor said in a hearing against the two owners on Monday, according to ANP.
Jord van W. (31) from Ulestraten and Stefan P. (30) from Valkenburg were arrested in August. The OM suspects them of illegally trading in pharmaceuticals, generating €42 million in revenue over five years. The court extended their pre-trial custody on Monday. A third suspect was arrested in August, but has since been released from custody.
But before the Dutch case continues, P. and Van W. must return to Antwerp for an appeal hearing on January 21, according to NOS. In March of this year, the Mechelen court sentenced the two Dutchmen to 120 hours of community service for importing prohibited substances with the death of a user as an aggravating circumstance.
The Belgian police launched their investigation in April 2021 after a window cleaner who ordered synthetic drugs from Funcaps died in a workplace accident. During the investigation, the Belgian authorities linked the site to three other incidents: a fatal fire, a fatal overdose, and another overdose in which the victim survived. Both the suspects and the Belgian prosecutor appealed against the community service sentence.
It is unclear how so much time lapsed between the Belgian investigation starting in April 2021 and the Dutch police arresting the suspects in August of this year.
Ruud Coolen van Brakel, director of the Institute for Responsible Medicine Use (IVM), is shocked by how many deaths are linked to this one website. “It’s a shockingly large case. This is unique and very serious,” he told NOS. “You know this is happening and that there could be victims, but so many deaths linked to a single distributor, I’ve never seen that before.”
Funcaps.nl has since been taken offline, but according to Coolen van Brakel, there are dozens, “if not hundreds,” of similar websites online.
