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

The suspects are all men between the ages of 32 and 51. They come from Diemen, Almere, and Amsterdam and worked at 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 drugs off the plane at a well-secured airport like Schiphol, then transport them through the airport and get them out,” the spokesperson said.

The authorities raided several commercial buildings, homes, and vehicles. They seized administration, phones, vehicles, a taser, and around 124,000 euros in cash and cryptocurrency.

Source: https://nltimes.nl/2024/05/31/six-airport-employees-arrested-cocaine-trafficking-though-schiphol