Netherlands: 34 arrests after drug-related shooting leaving one dead and two police officers injured

The violence of drug trafficking is singled out in the Netherlands. Police announced on Tuesday that they had arrested 34 people, including French, Belgians and Algerians, after a shooting in the east of the country which left one dead and which is believed to be linked to a drug lord.

Around 4 a.m., a group of heavily armed, hooded men approached a house in the village of Overasselt near the German border and shots were fired, killing a 51-year-old man, believed to be a security guard.

Two police officers were injured when police arriving at the scene were immediately targeted by gunfire, said police spokesperson Jolanda Aalbers, adding that they were not in critical condition. Weapons, data storage devices and vehicles were seized.

According to local media, the shooting is likely linked to the entourage of Dutch drug lord Jos Leijdekkers, also known as “Bolle Jos” or “Chubby Jos”. He is one of the Netherlands' most wanted criminals and has previously been convicted for his role in international cocaine trafficking. He is said to be in Sierra Leone and is in a relationship with the daughter of President Julius Maada Bio.

According to the daily Het Parool, the shooting was due to a conflict over several hundred kilos of cocaine which were allegedly trafficked by the Leijdekkers gang.

Deputy prosecutor Monique Vinkesteijn said there was a shooting at the same house last year linked to "a long-standing conflict", but she did not reveal further details. “We know that the group currently in detention is international,” she stressed. “It includes French and Belgian nationals, people from Algeria, and also individuals from the Netherlands.” The suspects are targeted by several charges, murder, manslaughter, attempted kidnapping.