40-year-old man arrested on suspicion of international drug trafficking in Emmen

It concerns the house of the suspect and four other houses, a garage box, a business premises and a catering establishment on the Hoofdstraat. The police have deployed sniffer dogs that are trained to search for drugs, weapons and cash. According to the police, large amounts of cash and two firearms were seized during the searches in Emmen.

The 40-year-old Emmenaar is suspected of being involved in the international trade in narcotics, especially cocaine. He would have been involved in several large cocaine shipments, mainly from South America. The drugs were distributed across Europe via the Netherlands. That trade was accompanied by ‘very large amounts of money’.

Research has been going on for quite some time

The police say that the investigation into the 40-year-old resident of Emmen had been going on for quite some time. Among other things, use was made of a shielded chat service for criminals that has now been taken offline. The investigation continues. New arrests and seizures are not ruled out. The arrested Emmenaar is in complete restrictions. This means that he can only have contact with his lawyer.

The fact that the police raided several addresses did not go unnoticed. At the catering business on the Hoofdstraat in Emmen there were four agents with balaclavas. At the building, where lunchroom Hekkert was located in the past, a roller shutter has been forced. Research has been carried out on both the ground floor and an upper floor. On the first floor, renovations have been going on for some time, bystanders said. The case was closed by the municipality last year after several warnings about fire safety, among other things.

On Monday, people also saw how a special arrest team was present at a car wash on Flintstraat, also in the center of Emmen. The building was cordoned off with black screens and the parking lot was guarded. At least one car was seized.

Cars seized

The police also raided a house and garage boxes on De Dillen. Customs was also present here. Local residents say that cars have also been seized here.