Four arrested in international gun trafficking probe in Netherlands
Police arrested four suspects Tuesday, Feb. 24, in an international investigation into illegal firearms trafficking. The men, ages 21, 23, 24, and 26, are from Rotterdam, The Hague, and Alkmaar, the police reported.
All four suspects have since appeared before an examining magistrate. The 26-year-old man from The Hague and the 23-year-old man from Alkmaar were ordered to remain in custody for an additional 14 days. The other two men were released but remain suspects in the case.
Police launched the investigation in October 2025 after DNA from three of the suspects was found on a shipment of firearms. The weapons had been intercepted several months earlier inside a car with hidden compartments at the port of Dover in England.
The investigation ultimately allowed police to link multiple cases. In addition to the arrests, officers searched several homes Tuesday. No weapons were found during the searches, but police seized various items believed to indicate firearms trafficking and weapon modification. These included ammunition, magazines, cartridges, barrels, packaging materials, and silencers.
