A real nightmare. Organization preparing snuffs movies

I think making snuf movies as the topic title suggests amounts to jumping to conclusions. It's a (remote) possibility that is never mentioned in the source material.

From what I read about this I gathered that the projected use of the torture chamber was for extortion, blackmail and inter-gang warfare, including intimidation. The prison cells seem to be meant for making persons disappear or vanish for a while (kidnapping to gather ransom).

Here are some other sources:
Seven torture chambers & cells inside shipping containers discovered in Dutch police raid after crack of encrypted chat app -- Sott.net
Police release footage of torture chamber in shipping container - DutchNews.nl
Underworld torture chamber, prison found in Noord-Brabant, 6 arrests
 
Similarly, I can assure you the MSM does not cover the gruesome Mexican cartel wars. But the videos exist for reason -- intimidation. Every cartel needs a bad reputation to force compliance from the populace. Things exposed like this unfortunately only strengthens their position with the cowed populace. Our MSM in America makes sure we stay focused on microagressions and badthink, not the reality that humans are being sacrificed and tortured near and in our own border.
 
On what has been published, it seems that the objective was to make films, it is on the darkweb that they would have prepared the operation. A question may arise, or have they received the money? Buying such equipment is not free
 
UPDATE. Source (Dutch only): Martelcontainers met scalpels en zagen 'waren voor de show'

DeepL Translator said:
NOS News - Interior - Today, 13:31 - Modified Today, 17:31

Torture containers with scalpels and saws 'were for show'

The containers with torture equipment in Wouwse Plantage in which abducted people could be locked up and tortured, were never meant to be used. The case has to do with embezzlement, said prime suspect Van O., who did not explain it any further. "Conclusions were drawn too quickly," he stated before the Court in Amsterdam.

Another suspect also stated, in a written statement to the Court, that the containers were for the show. They pretended to be involved in everything, to mislead the initiator, but would never have intended to really do anything with the torture chamber.

According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the initiator for the construction of the torture complex is the 48-year-old drug trafficker Roger P. alias Piet Costa, according to various media reports [in Dutch].

The Public Prosecutor's Office finds the statement of the suspects unbelievable and thinks that there was indeed a real torture chamber. "Everything was accounted for," said the prosecutor in the courtroom.

Handymen

The two suspects, along with four others, are alleged to have made preparations for kidnapping, extortion and aggravated assault. Today was a first preparatory session in the proceedings.

Lawyers of two other suspects emphasized that their clients only did some chores such as sheeting foil and cleaning up construction waste. They did not know exactly what they were involved in.

This summer [in Dutch] the sea containers were found in Wouwse Plantage, in Noord-Brabant. The containers were soundproofed and one of them was fitted with scissors, handcuffs on the ceiling, and a chair that was screwed to the floor. Images of them went all over the world.

Encrypted messaging

The police became aware of the case when officers managed to crack encrypted messages between criminals. In these EncroChat messages the containers were discussed and pictures of the torture chambers were shared.

For example, Robin van O., who sent messages under the name Slempo, wrote: "It has now been insulated three times". To which others responded with "Top". He also writes that they have to get arms ready. "Hand weapons and some automatic weapons perhaps. And with mufflers, handy if they don't cooperate." One of the suspects was called 'the Jailer' in those messages. He had the keys to the containers and was there for thirty days working on refitting the container.

Claw hammers and a pair of pruning shears

The public prosecutor listed what was found in the containers: finger clamps, scalpels, claw hammers, various pliers, a brush cutter and a branch saw, a gas burner and pruning shears. "Ice cold and shocking", she calls the finds. In the weeks that the police could follow the chats, there was also talk about possible victims. "If we thought it was necessary we warned those people," says the prosecutor. "That's how kidnappings were prevented."

The police also placed cameras outside and in the shed. They saw four of the suspects working hard to turn the growing areas of a cannabis plantation into torture chambers. The suspects also set up a large freezer and worked on cars. For example, a back seat was removed from a van.

The lawyers commented today on how the police brought the discovery of the containers to the media: "In a video with exciting music which would not look out of place on Netflix, the police raided the containers. While the police knew very well that no one was inside. The police has had cameras hanging outside the shed for weeks. So they knew exactly what they would find," said lawyer Schuurman.

Remand extended

In addition to the shed in Brabant, another shed was also found in Rotterdam. The messages referred to an 'AT-headquarters', pointing to the arrest team of the police. "From there you can deploy directly", someone wrote to 'Slempo'. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the suspects, dressed up as cops, wanted to kidnap people and take them to the torture chambers.

Police uniforms, weapons and fast cars were found in that shed. The prosecutor called it a shocking method. "The police must always be trustworthy."

All six suspects remain on remand, the court decided.


Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)


Related: How a Quiet Corner of Northern Europe Became a Theatre of Extreme Drug Warfare
 
Source: Torture chamber suspects were planning at least 7 murders: Prosecutor

Wednesday, March 3, 2021 - 15:20

Torture chamber suspects were planning at least 7 murders: Prosecutor


The suspects around torture containers found in Noord-Brabant last year had plans and intentions to assassinate at least seven people, the Public Prosecutor said in court on Wednesday. In a criminal conflict involving millions of eruos, prime suspect 49-year-old Roger P., alias Piet Costa, wanted to murder his rivals and their families, including children, the Prosecutor said in the introductory session at the high security court in Amsterdam, ANP reports.

The police became aware of P. and the gang allegedly around him last summer, after authorities managed to break into the databases of encrypted chat service Encrochat and gained access to millions of messages sent between criminals. Investigation led the police to a warehouse full of shipping containers modified to imprison and torture people.

The containers contained a variety of torture implements including items for waterboarding, two dentist chairs equipped with straps to tie people up, and a mobile operating table. These items were bought on Marktplaats, among other places, the Prosecutor revealed on Wednesday. In a warehouse in Rotterdam, the gang stored stolen cars that could be used to kidnap their victims, the Prosecutor said.

According to the Prosecutor, P. is the spider in the web. Various messages between him and direct accomplices showed their plans for murder. "They must die, right down to their dog," P. said in one message, the Prosecutor said.

Interrogation of the total 10 suspects in this case so far "yielded very little", the Prosecutor said. They either remain silent or lie.

Roger P. is also the prime suspect in a large drug case around the smuggling of about 4,800 kilograms of cocaine through the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam in 2015 and 2016.
 
Source: Grenade found in Breda possibly linked to torture chamber

Sunday, May 23, 2021 - 13:35

Grenade found in Breda possibly linked to torture chamber


A hand grenade was discovered on the grounds of a company on the Baliendijk in Breda on Saturday night. The area was closed off and the explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) was called to defuse the device. Authorities suspect the incident is linked to Piet Costa who is suspected of drug trafficking and the construction of a torture chamber on the Wouwse Plantage, the Telegraaf reported.

“The explosive was stuck to a shutter”, an eyewitness said to Omroep Brabant.

The owner of the company where the explosive was found allegedly wanted to take over management from Costa whose real name is Roger P. ‘Costa’ is accused of among other things, smuggling 4800 kilos of cocaine and the construction of a torture chamber where his opponents were to be murdered.

The owner of the company in Breda experienced multiple assassination attempts recently.

A few days earlier, the owner of the company was shot at near his home on the Bruno Renardstraat. He was able to escape uninjured. In January, an explosive and some shells were found near a second location of the man’s company at the Kleine Krogt.

On October 18, the man was shot at as well in front of his home by a man in a balaclava. He was unable to flee unharmed. Two days later a hand grenade and several cartridges were found at the Baliendijk in Breda.

Police are still investigating if there is a link between the current discovery and previous incidents.

Other news: Heavy weapons found in same complex were suspect in Ayla Mintjes case was arressted

Sunday, May 23, 2021 - 11:20

Heavy weapons found in same complex were suspect in Ayla Mintjes case was arrested

Ayla%20Mintjes.jpg

27-year old Ayla Mintjes who died after the shooting in Amsterdam

Police in Amsterdam discovered heavy weapons and explosives in a storage room of an apartment complex on Wednesday night, NOS reported. The weapons were found in the same complex where a suspect in the killing of 27-year-old Ayla Mintjes was arrested earlier on Wednesday.

Mintjes was likely killed by mistake on May 16, authorities claimed. She was sitting in her car when she was shot by an unidentified person. Ayla managed to drive herself to the hospital but ended up dying of her injuries.

Residents of the apartment complex with eight houses were temporarily transferred to safe accommodation.

Mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, ordered the apartment where the stash was discovered closed off for the following three months. Authorities discovered various types of explosives, automatic assault rifles, small firearms and ammunition in the storage room.

Residents have since been able to return to their homes but many feel unsafe. Some said they have plans to move elsewhere.

On March 28, a communal porch was damaged by explosives. Two days later, an explosive device attached to the balcony detonated. Police have said they suspect the attacks are related to tensions in crime circles.
 
Source (Dutch only): Martelcontainerverdachte Robin van O. blijft langer vastzitten

Torture container suspect Robin van O. remains in custody for extended period of time

2 hours ago

Gym owner and torture suspect Robin van O. remains in jail for the time being. The Amsterdam court sees sufficient compelling reasons to keep him in pre-trial detention for an extended period of time.

Main suspects Van O. and Roger P. ('Piet Costa') were, according to the public prosecutor, busy with their co-suspects setting up a shed with sea containers in Wouwse Plantage (North Brabant), in which criminal enemies could be locked up and tortured. In addition to a variety of torture equipment, two dental chairs were found on which people could be tied up for torture.

The 41-year-old Van O. had asked the court on Thursday to release him, because he said he had nothing to do with the case and he was innocently "put on this chessboard." But the court on Friday called the suspicions against him still too severe. Van O. made a fervent plea during the preliminary hearing that he is not the "Slempo" from the messages intercepted by the prosecution. Towards the end of the afternoon, however, the OM came up with "fresh off the press" information that the account of this 'Slempo' was secured with the names and dates of birth of Van O.'s children.

Death list


The police warned the 41-year-old Van O. a few years ago that he was on a death list. This would have to do with information about him that surfaced in a suspected feud between the alleged top criminal Ridouan Taghi and an opponent. According to Van O., the police then left him to his own devices and he had to rely on criminal contacts to stay one step ahead of those who had it in for him.

The torture containers were dismantled in June last year during a large-scale police action after the cracking of the crypto service EncroChat, in which detectives were able to read the messages that criminals sent among themselves.

The case will continue with a preliminary hearing in early November. The court is planning to hear the case on the substance early next year.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
 
Source (Dutch only): Onderzoek: martelcontainers in Brabants dorp waren geluidsdicht

Cry for help inaudible
Investigation: torture containers in Brabant village were soundproofed

3 hours 57 minutes ago - Updated: 2 hours 47 minutes ago

The torture containers in a shed in the North Brabant village of Wouwse Plantage were so well insulated that a cry for help would not have been audible outside the shed. This is stated in a report by research organization TNO.

The public prosecutor quoted from that report today during the sixth and final preliminary hearing in the case surrounding the torture containers discovered in June last year.

Dental chair with straps

TNO conducted a noise study in two containers at the request of the prosecution, including the container that contained the treatment chair.

This was a dentist's chair with straps on the armrests and footrest that was apparently designed to torture people:

In a shed, police found a torture chamber in a soundproof shipping container. The room was still under construction.

TNO also conducted research on a container that had been set up as a residence room. "It turns out that the furnishing was not amateur work, the sound insulation in the containers was installed with expertise," said the prosecutor about the results of the sound investigation.

Above-average voice volume

Even someone with an above-average voice volume would not be audible outside the shed. The report was provided to the defendants' lawyers last month.

The torture sheds came to light during a large-scale police operation following the cracking of the crypto service EncroChat, in which detectives were able to read the messages of criminals among themselves.

The court wants to hear the case on substance from January 26. Before then, one of the main suspects Robin van O. will be heard about the use of the name 'Slempo' on Encrochat.

Pre-trial detention

The prosecution has strong indications that Van O. is behind Slempo. The account would have been secured with a password consisting of the first names and dates of birth of the children of Van O.

The lawyers of Van O. and three co-defendants asked the court to allow their suspects to await their trial in freedom. The court will decide tomorrow whether to extend their pre-trial detention.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Similar: Noord-Brabant torture chambers were completely sound proof: study
 
Source (Dutch only): Robin van O., verdacht van bouw Brabantse martelcontainers, is ongeneeslijk ziek

Robin van O., suspected of building Brabant torture containers, is incurably ill

Former gym owner Robin van O. is suffering from an aggressive form of cancer. He will probably not see the end of his trial.

Thomas Borst - November 23, 2021 at 5:16 pm

Robin van O., the man who the justice department believes is behind the Brabant torture containers of the underworld, is incurably ill. Van O. was transferred to a prison hospital in Scheveningen. His lawyers confirmed this to NRC on Tuesday following reports by Het Parool (in Dutch). The Public Prosecutor's Office is prosecuting him on suspicion of leading a criminal organization, involvement in drug trafficking and setting up the torture containers in Brabant.

The 41-year-old Van O. suffers from an incurable cancer, which has metastasized and disabled vital parts of the body. He will probably not see the end of his trial; the substantive hearing against the group that Van O. is alleged to lead is scheduled for January. Last week, the former gym owner from Utrecht was transferred from the penitentiary in Leeuwarden to a prison hospital in Scheveningen.

Justice regards Van O. as the head of the criminal organization. Under his leadership, the group would have built and equipped the seven torture containers that were found by police last summer in Brabant. One of them contained a dental chair on which a victim could be secured and tortured with available tools. The other six containers were furnished as prison cells. The rooms were completely soundproofed; screams from victims could not be heard by the outside world.

Suspects from the organization are also on trial for preparing kidnapping, extortion, aggravated assault and murder. Van O., who was known in the criminal world as someone who was quickly informed of sensitive information, would also have been on Ridouan Taghi's death list (in Dutch).

With the cooperation of Jan Meeus.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
 
Source: Revenge, intimidation often drive gangland killings, researchers say - DutchNews.nl

Revenge, intimidation often drive gangland killings, researchers say

January 13, 2022

Gangland killings may often appear to be haphazard and carried out without any regard to others, but that is often deliberate strategy, according to government scientists at the justice ministry’s research and document centre WODC.

The research team studied (Press release with link to report; Dutch only) violent gangland killings over the past few decades, in an update to an earlier report, which was issued in 2017.

They found that organized drugs crime is usually behind gang-related murders, but now say that revenge and intimidation are the primary reason for the killings, rather than conflict between groups. In addition, murder is increasingly used to punish gang members themselves, or to warn others.

For example, the murder of a man involved in a gangland war over drugs while his seven-year-old daughter was sitting next to him in the car, was a deliberate act, the researchers say.

We now know the killers knew the girl would be in the car, researcher Barbra van Gestel told the NRC. ‘We used to think such killings were sloppy and careless, but now we know that intimation also plays a part,’ she told the paper.

The murder of girlfriends, crime reporter Martin Kok and the killing of the brother of a crown witness and his lawyer involved in a major drugs trial, can also be seen in this light, the WODC says.

The agency bases its report on interviews with more than 20 key informers working for both the police and justice ministry as well as encrypted messages between gang members.

What is also notable, said Van Gestel, is that the number of gangland killings is going down. Since 2000 the total has hovered between 20 and 30 a year but in 2019 there were 18 and in 2020 just 10.
 
Source (Dutch only): OM eist 12 jaar tegen hoofdverdachte martelgevangenis (one illustration omitted)

NOS News - Domestic - today, 16:59 - Updated today, 17:09
Prosecution demands 12 years against main suspect torture prison

The Public Prosecution demands 12 years imprisonment against Roger P., main suspect and commissioner in the case of the cells and the torture chamber that were found one and a half years ago in a shed near Wouwse Plantage. He is seen by the prosecution as the leader of a criminal organization whose goal was hostage-taking, imprisonment, extortion, assault and murder.

The case against the other main suspect, "main contractor" Robin van O., has been suspended because he is too ill to stand trial. Sentences of up to nine years were demanded from other suspects.

According to the prosecution, the group's cracked message traffic paints a picture of cocaine traffickers who wanted total power over others and had an "animalist urge" to torture, extort and kill. "And if they don't cooperate, right in the knee," wrote 'Slempo' (according to the prosecution this is Robin van O.) to Luxuryballoon (Roger P.). Slempo also wanted to start as soon as possible: "No mercy".

Most of the suspects were arrested on June 22, 2020. According to the prosecution, on that very day they planned to pick someone up and lock him up, to take care of him in their "underworld prison." The motive was "a combination of money, power, prestige and wounded pride," according to the prosecution.

P. is alleged to have targeted seven opponents in particular, who had cheated him out of a lot of money. One suspect had already returned money ('900 k') after a kidnapping and torture elsewhere and had promised to help get the rest back.

'Own EBI'


In the messages they talked about their own "EBI", a reference to the Extra Secured Institution in Vught. Roger P. wrote that he hoped "I will get the chance to torture them." Their opponents should "all get their turn sooner or later" and "go to sleep," in the criminal circuit a word for die. "They must die, down to their dogs," he said.

They also wanted to kidnap someone's wife and child for ransom, according to the prosecution. "Shit wolla, those kids may as well." They also were supposed to torture someone from their own group who was no longer trusted.

The Prosecutor speaks of "the back end of the recreational use of cocaine," to which our society is in danger of becoming accustomed, but which leads to repulsive effects.

Man-sized freezer

In the warehouse were six containers that were set up as soundproof cells. a seventh container housed a torture chamber. The prosecution announced today that there was a man-sized freezer in which more than one person could be locked up. Three dental chairs were also found in which people could be tied with straps. Inside the containers were tools such as finger clamps, a sledgehammer and a gas burner. The inside of the containers were lined with soundproof material so that the prisoners could scream without being heard.

The police tracked down the warehouse because they were able to read messages from the gang of 50-year-old Roger P, a key figure in the international cocaine trade, nicknamed Pete Costa because of his regular stay in Costa Rica, via the cracked messaging service Encrochat.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Source (Dutch only; background overview): 'Schone loods, ze mogen schreeuwen': eis bekend in martelcontainerzaak (two illustrations and one video clip omitted)

NOS News - Domestic - today, 06:29 - Updated today, 09:41
'Neat shed, they may scream': demand known in torture container case

Today, the Public Prosecutor's Office issues a penalty demand against the group that allegedly set up the containers, in the countryside between Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom. Twelve suspects are on trial, including the suspected principal: a 50-year-old Rotterdam man nicknamed Piet Costa.

Who is this suspect? Why would he have had the torture containers built? And who should have been locked up there? These are questions that investigators, crime journalists and podcast creators have recently been throwing themselves into.

Champagne Cooler


Main suspect Roger P., alias Piet Costa, is known as a ringleader in the Dutch cocaine trade. Yet until his arrest in 2020 he managed to remain largely in the shadows. He owes his nickname to his regular stay in Costa Rica.

That he is deeply involved in crime is evident from his lifestyle, according to the prosecution. He commuted back and forth between the Netherlands and South America, drove very expensive cars, stayed in luxury apartments and had a lot of money, but no income. In a house where he stayed, there were bottles of liquor worth thousands of euros each. In a champagne cooler there was 15,000 euros of 'pocket money'.

" Neat shed. Everything insulated. They may scream."
Pete Costa in intercepted message

Piet Costa's name surfaces when police manage to crack a number of messaging services and intercept the communications of criminals. The police read along with messages that seem to be about large consignments of drugs and see pictures passing by of blocks of cocaine. The suspicion is that P. is the organizer of this drug smuggling.

In the spring of 2020, while reading along with the criminal message traffic, the police also make a very different, chilling discovery. Pete Costa is sent photos of a shed, shipping containers, insulation material and a chair with straps. "Three times insulated," the sender writes along with it. "Even though you are standing next to it you don't hear anything."

Piet Costa, according to the judiciary, sends the photos again to someone else: "Would you like to see our shed space for about ten men. Neat shed. Everything isolated. They may scream."

Great danger

It is clear to the police that there is great danger, that containers have apparently been set up to lock people up and torture them. The man who allegedly sent the photos is 41-year-old Robin van O., a former gym owner from Utrecht. Through him the police managed to trace the shed in Wouwse Plantage.

Cameras were secretly placed inside. This way they managed to keep an eye on the construction of the 'underworld prison'. The police intervened when the building was nearly finished.

Secateurs and scalpels

In the warehouse the police find seven isolated containers, six of which have been furnished as cells and one as a torture chamber. In the camera-guarded cells, shackles hang from the ceiling; on the floor is a chemical toilet. In the torture chamber there is an old dentist's chair with straps and there are pruning shears, scalpels and pliers, as well as a finger clamp, saw and gas burner.

The shocking images are released two weeks later and are world news. They provide instant inspiration for scriptwriters: the prison container recurs almost one on one in the popular [Dutch TV-]series Mocro Maffia.

Police also found bags to pull over someone's head and an "operating table" on which people could be tied. A mortar tub was intended for waterboarding prisoners, according to the prosecution.

In addition, police discovered the base of operations of a "criminal arrest team": stolen fast cars, weapons, bulletproof vests, police uniforms and flashing lights. The suspicion is that targets would be kidnapped by fake cops, and then locked up in Wouwse Plantage.

CEO of a drug company

That same day Roger P. is arrested. Simultaneously with the case of the underworld prison, a second investigation into the smuggling of cocaine is underway. Piet Costa is also the main suspect in that case. The prosecution describes him as the "CEO" of a drug company.

He is said to have imported thousands of kilos of coke and to have made preparations for the import of a mega batch of 25,000 kilos. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, reports indicate that he wanted to bring this enormous consignment from South America to Europe in one go using his own boat.

Last month the Public Prosecutor demanded almost 18 years in prison against Roger P. for cocaine trafficking. Every time he had to appear in court, he was hiding in a hooded sweater and would say nothing, neither about drug trafficking, nor about the containers.

Robbed of tens of millions


According to the prosecution, he had the dreary torture prison set up because of a high-profile conflict in the underworld. Various media reported that Piet Costa was allegedly robbed of many tens of millions of euros.

The man allegedly behind this was described by a witness as the "Willem Endstra of Dubai," i.e. an underworld banker. He would be one of the people who should have ended up in the torture container.

The conflict seems to have gotten way out of hand. Several shootings and liquidations are reportedly related to the feud. "I'm not normally one for this department," Pete Costa wrote, according to police. "But now there are some ... I hope I can torture them."

The twelve suspects in the torture container case are said to have had different roles. Some are said to have rolled up their sleeves in the shed as handymen; others are said to have arranged matters in the background. Most of them do not want to say anything.

Only Robin van O., the man who would have coordinated the construction and would have kept Piet Costa informed, says that the containers were never meant to be actually used. Everything would have been just for show.

With a video, Van O. tried earlier in court to show that "character assassination" had been committed against him. Among other things, he wanted to illustrate with baby and youth photos that he is not an unscrupulous criminal, but a very ordinary person.

Robin van O. is the only one who will not be given a penalty demand today. The case against him has been postponed because he is seriously ill.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
 
Source (Dutch only): ad.nl/binnenland/drugsbaron-piet-costa-krijgt-15-jaar-cel-voor-cocainehandel-ex-voetballer-vrijgesproken~ad85b164/

Drug kingpin Piet Costa gets 15 years in prison for cocaine trafficking; former soccer player acquitted

Drug baron Roger P. (50) disappears behind bars for fifteen years for large-scale cocaine trafficking. The Rotterdammer, better known as 'Piet Costa', is considered a heavyweight in Dutch organized crime.

Eric Oosterom 11-04-22, 14:46 - Last update: 15:28

P. listened to the verdict unperturbed on Monday afternoon. In the Rotterdam court he appeared again with a hood over his head and a mouth cap on. He made himself heard once: when the judge asked him whether he understood the verdict, he said that he did.

Under the radar

The Public Prosecutor's Office (OM) previously described P. as a mogul who operated under the radar for years: he had himself driven around in cheap cars, lived at various addresses and even had a "man" for making restaurant reservations.

This enabled P. to rustle up large-scale cocaine transports. The Public Prosecutor held the Rotterdammer responsible for three batches - of 1015, 3776 and 1200 kilos respectively - of the white gold, but suspected that his actual trade was much larger.

Record year

According to the prosecutors, the ambitions of the Rotterdammer were also enormous. P. and his companions are said to have talked about an unprecedentedly expensive batch of no less than 25,000 kilos. To compare: in 2021, an absolute record year, the investigative services seized 70,571 kilos of cocaine - street value: over 5 billion euros - from containers within the Rotterdam harbor.

According to the prosecution, P. lived like God in France for years. He supposedly ate in the fanciest restaurants, walked around with tens of thousands of euros and drank the most expensive cognacs.

The Rotterdammer was arrested in the summer of 2020, after the police and the judiciary had tracked him down through the EncroChat hack. This encrypted chat service was extremely popular among criminals. EncroChat messages were therefore the main evidence against the Rotterdammer and the eight suspects who were on trial in the same case.

Former Sparta player acquitted

P. stood trial with eight others.* Among them was ex-soccer player Rachid B. (38). Justice accused him of money laundering. The former Spartan would have rented an apartment in Barcelona where Costa, a friend from his youth, could stay. P. allegedly repaid B. with cash. B. also bought tickets for the Rotterdammer, among other things.

The judge acquitted him, however, because it is not implausible that a former professional footballer could incur large expenses. After all, as a sportsman he had earned a generous salary. The judge also stated that P. visited B.'s apartment only sporadically.

Earlier this year P. also had to answer for the terrifying torture complex in Wouwse Plantage. He would have wanted to have people kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured and killed because of a high-running argument about criminal millions, the justice department argued. The verdict in that case will follow next month.

*Note: Six others were sentenced to terms between three and eight years in prison.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Similar coverage in Dutch:
Drugscrimineel Piet Costa veroordeeld tot vijftien jaar celstraf voor invoer cocaïne
 
Source: Convicted cocaine trafficker given 2.5 more years in prison over torture chamber plot

Wednesday, May 11, 2022 - 16:16

Convicted cocaine trafficker given 2.5 more years in prison over torture chamber plot


A court imposed strict prison sentences on Wednesday in the controversial case concerning the alleged torture chamber built into a string of sea containers in Wouwse Plantage. The verdict spoke of "a group that ruthlessly wanted to take the law into their own hands.” The 50-year-old defendant, Roger P., known by the alias Piet Costa, was given the maximum possible prison sentence. His lawyer said he would appeal immediately after the hearing.

P. was recently sentenced in Rotterdam to fifteen years in prison in part for his involvement in the large-scale international trade in cocaine. The court was forced in its latest ruling to take that Rotterdam conviction and sentence into account in the torture container case. In total - for both cases - P. could legally face a maximum of seventeen years and nine months. The court sentenced P. on Wednesday in the torture container case to the maximum additional time it could, 33 months in prison.

P. and his followers are said to have built a detention center of six sea containers in a warehouse in Wouwse Plantage. A seventh container was set up as a torture chamber, including an old dental chair to which victims could be tied. A veritable arsenal of torture tools was found in the complex. The suspected gang had parked a few fast cars in a warehouse in Rotterdam, which were to be used for kidnappings. Weapons and police uniforms were also found.

The cocaine trade is said to have formed the backdrop for the bizarre and chilling criminal enterprise, which was discovered thanks to the authorities’ hack of encrypted messaging service Encrochat. These intercepted messages formed an important part of the evidence. The hack allowed the police to follow the suspects' movements for quite some time. They also installed cameras in the warehouse in Wouwse Plantage. Action was taken on June 22, 2020, when the suspects were about to hold a first victim in their underworld prison, according to the Public Prosecution Service.

According to the lawyers of the suspects, the investigators broke many rules with the hacking operation, so the criminal prosecution should not be valid. According to Roger P.'s lawyer, "the hack was wrong on all sides.” He therefore announced that he would go for an appeal immediately after the verdict. They also appealed in the Rotterdam cocaine trafficking case.

P.'s co-defendants were sentenced to prison terms of up to nine years on Wednesday. The court called Hassan M. Costa’s right-hand man, saying he collected information about potential victims. He was [convicted] to eight years in prison. His lawyer also announced immediately afterwards that he would appeal. "In both the Rotterdam case and this case, he was sentenced to eight years in prison for participating in a criminal organization. In our view, that is not correct."

The trial of P.'s suspected criminal partner, Robin van O., has been postponed because he is seriously ill.

Reporting by ANP.

Similar: Eleven men jailed for preparing to torture gang rivals in a sea container - DutchNews.nl

Coverage in Dutch:
Ruim 2,5 jaar extra celstraf voor 'Piet Costa' in zaak martelcontainers
Maximale celstraf Piet Costa als leider in martelcontainerzaak
geenstijl.nl/5164992/piet-costa-en-zijn-uit-de-hand-gelopen-hobby/
 
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