St. Maarten Island Time

HOLLAND/St. Maarten – The Dutch police announced this week that they have arrested a 64-year old man with an official address in Anguilla.

His arrest comes as part of an ongoing criminal investigation by the FIOD which is looking into his possible links to the laundering of more than one million euros.

The Amsterdam District Court has remanded the man into custody and have also extended his detention by three months.

The man was arrested on January 14 in Pigeon and has been detained ever since. Since November 2015 the man was signaled internationally as a suspect. Upon his arrest, he had 5,500 euro cash in his pocket. That was confiscated.

The man is seen as the main suspect in a money laundering investigation by the FIOD and as far as it is known, he has no legal income. He seems to be ‘the wind’ to life.

During the search of his residence which has as its address in Amsterdam by the FIOD on November 10th, two kilos of hashish and 120,000 euro cash was seized in a plastic bag.

11 houses searched in the Netherlands and St. Maarten

In total, the FIOD searched on November 10, 11 buildings in the Netherlands and St. Maarten. These are four houses in Diemen, Amsterdam, Delft and municipality Wijdemeren and three residences in St. Maarten. In addition, four commercial properties in Amstelveen (2), Arnhem and Haarlemmermeer. During the house search in Delft, a further 240,000 euro cash was found. It was packed in a suitcase. The money was seized, as well as a firearm with ammunition, amphetamine, methamphetamine (“Chrystal meth”), and substances used to manufacture methamphetamine.

On Sint Maarten two parasail boats belonging to his daughter were confiscated because crime must not pay.

Start research

The investigation by the FIOD began following a report of a suspicious transaction to the FIU about a company – of which the suspect is associated through a foundation after 2009 when the suspect almost gained 300,000 euros by reselling real estate with big gains, by way of a so-called ABC transaction. The presumption is that this company is only used to launder monies. There would be no legal activities. Large sums were transferred from a company with a 65 year old man from the town of Wijdemeren. These amounts arise from cash deposits. The money would partly be again transferred to the company’s 33-year-old daughter of the chief suspect in St. Maarten. The 33-year-old daughter and 65-year-old man from Wijdemeren are suspected to have helped their companies to wash tons money.

Approach laundering priority

Tackling money laundering is a priority for the government, because it is very important to effectively combat all forms of serious crime. Obscuring the criminal origin of proceeds of crime allows perpetrators of these crimes to be able to remain out of the reach of investigating authorities and undisturbed to enjoy the accumulated assets.

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