Six airport workers arrested for trafficking cocaine via Schiphol

The Koninklijke Marechaussee arrested six men suspected of trafficking cocaine through Schiphol Airport. They are also accused of belonging to a criminal organization. The suspects worked in companies in and around Schiphol, which gave them access to the airport, the Marechaussee said on Friday.

The Marechaussee launched this investigation after receiving information about the smuggling of cocaine through the airport on wooden pallets from Suriname. They quickly identified a 51-year-old man from Diemen as the “airport mediator” of this trafficking operation. He approached the other suspects to smuggle the cocaine through the airport. “Thanks to the cooperation between the different employees, they were able to smuggle the drugs,” a spokesperson for the Marechaussee told NOS.

The suspects are all men aged 32 to 51. They come from Diemen, Almere and Amsterdam and worked in logistics, transport and parcel delivery companies in and around the airport. “They had organized it well and used their authority to be at Schiphol. You need all kinds of people to get the drugs off the plane at a well-secured airport like Schiphol and then transport them through the airport and get them out,” the spokesperson said.

Authorities searched several commercial buildings, homes and vehicles. They seized administrations, telephones, vehicles, a Taser and around 124,000 euros in cash and cryptocurrency.

The investigation is ongoing. Three of the suspects were taken into custody. The other three will be brought to court on Friday.

The spokesperson for the Koninklijke Marechausee told NOS that drug trafficking is difficult to prevent despite the numerous barriers and strict security at the airport. “At the end of the day, it’s about people. And if they are willing to look the other way to get a nice payoff, we must do everything we can to prevent that.”

Last week, the Koninklijke Marechaussee arrested an employee of Schiphol Airport after intercepting 120 kilograms of cocaine at the airport. The drugs were smuggled in various suitcases on a flight from Gambia. It is not known whether these two cases are related.

The Koninklijke Marechaussee is a police force that is part of the Dutch army. In addition to maintaining order within the armed forces, the Marechaussee is responsible for border security, particularly at airports and seaports.