Jenever bottle turns out to contain amphetamine oil, killing 2; Police seek witnesses

In April 2023, an elderly couple in Hilversum died after drinking from a bottle of what they believed was jenever, also called Dutch gin. The liquid inside the bottle was actually amphetamine oil. The police are looking for witnesses to help them figure out where the bottle came from.

In April 2023, an 84-year-old woman from Hilversum became unwell after drinking from a bottle of jenever in her home. Two weeks earlier, her husband had died of similar symptoms, also after drinking from the bottle. The woman was hospitalized and died a few days later.

The police launched an extensive investigation into the origin and contents of the bottle. Tests revealed that the bottle contained amphetamine oil, not jenever. Investigators also discovered that the bottle had been purchased at a liquor store and gifted to the Hilversum couple.

The police, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), and the liquor store that sold the bottle investigated the situation. The bottle was part of a single package containing four liquor bottles filled with amphetamine oil.

This package had been sent from the Netherlands to Seville, Spain, by an unknown suspect. When sending the package, the sender falsely listed the liquor store as the sender. The package was never collected, so the postal service returned it to the liquor store, which accidentally placed it on the shelves.

The police “have no indications that more bottles from the same package ended up in regular stores or with consumers.”

Despite 2.5 years of extensive investigation, the police still haven’t identified who sent the package of amphetamine oil disguised as jenever from the Netherlands to Spain. Investigators are now asking witnesses to help.

Specifically, the police are looking for two witnesses in Spain who tried to collect the package containing the four liquor bottles filled with amphetamine oil from a parcel point in Seville in April 2023. “We would also like to speak with anyone who knows who sent the package from the Netherlands, or anyone who has more information about this case,” the police said.