Four men held on suspicion of human trafficking in Oisterwijk
Police arrested four men on suspicion of human trafficking after finding two Colombian women in a house in Oisterwijk. A court has ordered all four held for 90 days.
Police arrested four men on 13 October on suspicion of human trafficking or attempted human trafficking. The inquiry led officers to a house in Oisterwijk, where they found two women from Colombia, aged 29 and 33. The suspects are a 33-year-old from Roermond, a 37-year-old from Bunschoten, a 55-year-old from Amersfoort and a 23-year-old from Vught.
Police say the investigation produced indications that the women may have been forced into prostitution. The suspicion covers coercion, threats, violence, deception and abuse of a vulnerable position, among other things.
On Thursday 29 October the Raadkamer of the court, a private hearing that rules on detention, decided that all four will stay in pre-trial detention for 90 days.
Police searched the suspects' homes and addresses. They seized an air weapon, cash and a small amount of drugs.
The investigation began with a report to police in January 2025. The arrests came during the Week tegen Mensenhandel, the week against human trafficking, when police and partners including municipalities and the Public Prosecution Service are asking for extra attention to spotting and reporting it.
Buddy Bossink, a human trafficking expert with the Zeeland-West-Brabant police unit, said: "Human trafficking occurs everywhere and is not always immediately visible." He said public reports are important because people sometimes see things that help police understand a situation.
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Follow the story: Raadkamer
Raadkamer
The raadkamer is the chamber of a Dutch court, usually a panel of judges, that rules in closed session on pre-trial matters such as whether a suspect stays in pre-trial detention (voorlopige hechtenis). Its decisions determine how long a suspect can be held before trial, so they are often reported in criminal cases.
Week tegen Mensenhandel
The Week against Human Trafficking is an annual awareness week in the Netherlands, held in October, in which police, municipalities, the Public Prosecution Service and partner organisations ask professionals and the public to spot and report human trafficking. It matters because it focuses attention on recognising signs of exploitation and passing them on to the authorities.