Prosecutors demand four years' prison in Twente laundering case

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded four years in prison for S., a 68-year-old convicted former drug lord from Twente, and three years for his partner, who is also 68. The trial is being held at the district court in Almelo. Prosecutors estimate the couple laundered €3.4m.

Besides the prison terms, the OM wants the couple to repay more than €2.8m to the State. The prosecutor said the money was laundered through a "cleverly set-up sham construction" and other routes, including a limited company registered in Enschede.

The prosecutor told the court: "The money was sloshing against the skirting boards. In no fewer than 47 countries, from New York and Barcelona to Paramaribo, money was spent everywhere." He said the family is comfortably off because of the laundering.

According to the case file, the couple owned nine expensive paintings, including works by Karel Appel and Lucebert. The OM also wants to confiscate three properties in Utrecht's city centre. The prosecutor said the homes can only have been paid for with money from a crime.

S. says he earned his wealth honestly. In a written statement he said he ran a company operating gambling machines in Greece in the late 1990s.

Statistics Netherlands (CBS) figures show 2,060 detainees were held for drug offences on 30 September 2024, the latest year counted, up from 1,380 on the same date in 2015. The number dipped in 2016, 2020 and 2022, and rose in 2023 and 2024.

Drug-offence detainees rose from 1,380 in 2015 to 2,060 in 2024

Detainees on 30 September · 2015–2024

Drug-offence detainees rose from 1,380 in 2015 to 2,060 in 2024 (detainees on 30 September). From 1,380 in 2015 to 2,060 in 2024; highest 2,060 in 2024, lowest 1,340 in 2016. Source: CBS.

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Data: Drug-offence detainees rose from 1,380 in 2015 to 2,060 in 2024

Period	Detainees on 30 September
2015	1,380
2016	1,340
2017	1,450
2018	1,590
2019	1,700
2020	1,580
2021	1,730
2022	1,670
2023	1,870
2024	2,060