Violence in Overasselt Shows the Scale of Organized Crime in the Netherlands
7 Articles
7 Articles
It began in 2012 with deadly ‘Wild West scenes’ in Amsterdam’s Staatsliedenbuurt; after that came a severed head in Amsterdam and a series of attacks, extending as far as villages in the Groene Hart. Overasselt is therefore not exceptional. However, the recent violence illustrates how the Dutch underworld has changed: cocaine supply routes now run through Spain.
A group of thirty young men with weapons attacked a home in Overasselt, Gelderland, on Tuesday morning. How do criminals recruit youths and young men for violent jobs, and why do they do so? AD crime reporter Yelle Tieleman explains.
The events of last night and today in the Gelderland town of Overasselt confirm the picture that organized crime in the Netherlands is ‘very widespread’. This is according to Jasper van der Kemp, assistant professor and criminologist at the Vrije Universiteit, in response to the shooting and the subsequent arrests. ‘What you see now is that they are apparently willing to gather a large group that wants to undertake such an action. And that is ac…
Among the 34 people arrested in connection with the shooting in Overasselt are French, Belgian, Algerian, and Dutch nationals. This was stated by Monique Vinkesteijn, Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the East Netherlands Public Prosecution Service, during a press conference. They are suspected of involvement in murder and manslaughter, attempted murder and manslaughter, and preparing a kidnapping. She expects further arrests.
In the podcast Praat mee met AD, we discuss an issue every day. Today, it is this one: ‘We simply live in a drug economy; this kind of violence like in Overasselt is just part of it.’
Early on 1 September, a village in the east of the Netherlands saw a criminal operation of unprecedented scale and brutality, says NRC. It was likely a settlement of accounts between drug traffickers, which led to an equally massive police operation.
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