Rotterdam torture warehouse: escaped hostage exposes kidnappings for hire
Spanish police report ten arrests in the Netherlands and Spain in an investigation into kidnappings commissioned by other criminal networks. A Spanish man was allegedly abducted in Antwerp after 500 kilograms of cocaine disappeared. Investigators say his captors demanded €600,000. Nine suspects are in pre-trial detention.
A leap from a moving car ended around ten days of captivity. The kidnapped Spaniard reached a petrol station in Lokeren, Belgium, and asked for help. His account led investigators to a network that, according to Spanish police, not only acted for itself but also carried out kidnappings for other drug organisations.
The Policía Nacional announced the joint operation with Europol and Dutch authorities on 28 October. The arrests occurred earlier: seven on 24 February in the Netherlands and three on 24 September in Spain. Spanish police describe the latter three as the alleged organiser, his deputy and a leader in the associated drug network. Their names have not been released.
According to the Spanish investigation, the victim was abducted in Antwerp on 15 February. His family received calls and videos through encrypted platforms. His captors blamed him for a missing cocaine consignment intended for transport from Spain to the Netherlands.
New reporting by Panorama and Hart van Nederland describes the Dutch locations behind the investigation. The victim said he was taken from Antwerp to a Rotterdam warehouse. Storage units were used as cells, guarded by heavily armed men. He described other hostages, including severely injured men. He was subsequently transferred to a home in Utrecht.
The man said he was held and seriously assaulted for about a week and a half. The group allegedly used storage units and homes, employing paid guards and drivers. After being held at a Dutch apartment, he escaped during a car journey towards Belgium and reached a petrol station.
Spanish police describe an organisation with premises in the Netherlands and Belgium and clearly assigned roles. Investigators say employees were paid to guard, transport and assault hostages. This structure enabled the group to hold people and demand ransoms on behalf of other criminal networks.
Spanish police say investigators found blood and DNA from the victim and unidentified people at searched properties. The inquiry into possible further victims continues. The ten are suspected of kidnapping and participation in a criminal organisation.
