Overasselt man held in Vught over cocaine loses his lawyer
Lawyer Ralph Takens has stopped defending Jan G., 28, who is held in a maximum-security prison in Vught on suspicion of importing almost 4,000 kilograms of cocaine.
The lawyer of Jan G., 28, from Overasselt in Gelderland, has stopped defending him. G. is a suspect in a cocaine smuggling case involving almost 4,000 kilograms of the drug.
G. was arrested in Germany in mid-September at the request of the Dutch authorities and has since been handed over to the Netherlands. He is held in the maximum-security prison (Extra Beveiligde Inrichting, EBI) in Vught, in Noord-Brabant.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) says G. is suspected of trying to import the cocaine. The shipment was found in containers in the French port of Dunkirk (Duinkerke) on 7 September.
Another suspect in the same case was arrested in Dordrecht on 4 September.
The lawyer is Ralph Takens, from Amsterdam. He confirmed that he stopped defending G. on Friday. G. is currently under restrictions: during the ongoing investigation he may only have contact with his lawyer.
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EBI (Extra Beveiligde Inrichting)
The extra-secure unit (EBI) is a high-security section within a Dutch prison, run by the Dutch prison service (DJI). It holds detainees who are considered a serious risk of escape or a serious danger to public safety, such as people linked to organised crime or terrorism. Inmates in an EBI are kept under stricter security and a more restricted daily regime than in ordinary prison wings.