The 39-year-old man who was sentenced to 3 years in prison last week for running a drug lab in Luyksgestel is on the run. The man did not show up at court and people are now looking forward to him nationally and internationally, the Public Prosecution Service confirmed to Omroep Brabant when asked.
The Eindhoven resident was arrested in Spain last summer on suspicion of drug trafficking. The judge allowed him to await his case at home, but has now run off.
Encrochat
The police tracked down the man after the discovery of a drug lab in Luyksgestel in 2020. By reading along with a large number of decrypted chat messages sent via crypto communication platforms such as Encrochat, it became clear that the man was involved in the lab.
Further investigation revealed that he was probably involved in drug trafficking and the production of hard drugs on a large scale. He was also suspected of money laundering. He was acquitted of the latter by the court.
Wait at home
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) confirms to Omroep Brabant that the man has disappeared without a trace after he was not present at the verdict. He is ‘internationally signaled’, which means that the police in the Netherlands and abroad are looking out for him.
The judge decided in October last year that the man could await his case at home, because his ‘personal interests’ outweighed the flight risk at that time, according to the ruling. It is not known what those interests were exactly.
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