Overasselt man, 28, extradited from Germany on suspicion of cocaine smuggling
A 28-year-old from Overasselt, arrested in Germany last month, is now in Dutch custody on suspicion of involvement in a plot to import almost 4,000 kilos of cocaine.
A 28-year-old man from Overasselt, in Gelderland, was extradited from Germany to the Netherlands on Thursday 15 October, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) said. He is suspected of involvement in an attempt to import almost 4,000 kilos of cocaine. The drugs were found on 7 September in containers in the French port of Dunkirk.
German authorities arrested the man on 18 September at the request of the Dutch authorities. He was picked up at a car park along the A44 near the German town of Soest. He is held under full restrictions and may only have contact with his lawyer. He is identified as Jan G.
The suspect emerged in one of the national investigation unit's (LO) inquiries into the explosion of violence in Overasselt on 1 September.
Another suspect was arrested in Dordrecht on 4 September on suspicion of involvement in the attempt to import 3,857 kilos of cocaine. He appeared before the raadkamer (a pre-trial hearing in chambers) on 23 September and remains in custody for 90 days.
The national public prosecutor's office (Landelijk Parket) leads the criminal investigation.
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raadkamer
The raadkamer is the chamber of a Dutch court where judges rule on pre-trial matters, without a full public trial. It decides, for example, whether a suspect stays in custody (voorlopige hechtenis) and whether certain investigative measures were lawful. Its decisions matter because they determine how long a suspect can be held before the case goes to trial.
Landelijk Parket
The Landelijk Parket is the National Prosecutor's Office, a unit of the Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie) in the Netherlands. It handles large and complex criminal cases that cover the whole country, such as serious organised crime, large-scale drug trafficking and international cases. It leads investigations and prosecutions of this kind.