Alleged Arms and Drug Dealer Martien R. Faces 16-Year Sentence, Co-Defendants Receive Over 10-Year Sentence

The Public Prosecution Service has again demanded sixteen years in prison against the alleged drug and arms dealer Martien R. from Oss. That is the highest possible punishment for the offenses he is suspected of.

The sentence demand is equal to the demand that the Public Prosecution Service made at the court in Den Bosch in 2021. The court agreed at the time, but R., also known as the godfather of Oss, appealed.

Twelve co-defendants, including ten immediate family members of R., were sentenced today to ten years and eight months after a more than nine-hour argument. During the hearing, some suspects returned to their cells early because they thought it was taking too long, writes Broadcasting Brabant.

R.’s gang was rounded up in 2019 during the large-scale police operation Operation Alfa. An arrest team drove R. into a trap at the trailer park in Oss. During days of searches of the camp and other places, the police found large amounts of drugs, tons of cash and a huge arsenal of weapons. The Kalashnikovs, hand grenades and other weaponry were hidden in underground spaces that were monitored by cameras.

Last month, a challenge request was rejected in the extensive criminal case. Lawyer Jan-Hein Kuijpers had asked for new judges because, according to him, the court in Den Bosch had created the appearance of bias. He came to this conclusion because the court decided last fall to interrogate an agent via a video connection because he lives in Curaçao, but had not informed R.’s lawyers about this.

It is not yet known when the court will rule in the case.