Organized crime in the Netherlands

Organized crime in the Netherlands goes back to the 18th century when organised groups of thieves, pimps and shady travelling salesmen created a cant language named Bargoens to communicate with each other.[1] Penonze has in origins in the Hebrew word "parnasa", meaning livelihood. Until this day the word penoze (which arose from Bargoens) is still used by some people to describe the Dutch underworld in which the organised crime bosses thrive.[2] The word is mostly used in Amsterdam, but has also spread to other big cities in the Netherlands such as The Hague or Rotterdam.

The Netherlands is the biggest exporter of ecstasy in the world,[3] while Dutch gangs are a major exporter of cocaine, cannabis and a smaller exporter of heroin. In the drugs business they closely cooperate with British firms and Colombian cartels for the importation and exportation of ecstasy and cocaine,[4] while they cooperate with Moroccan drug barons in the Riffian areas and with Pashtun drug lords based in Pakistan for the importation of hashish .

While the term Penose was and still is used to describe the ethnic Dutch crime lords, it has been used in a broader context.

Dutch criminals are active on Spain's Costa Brava, Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol, as well as the islands of Ibiza and Mallorca. Dutch criminal expatriates in the country are involved in drug trafficking, utilising Spain's position as an entry point for Colombian cocaine to smuggle drugs to the Netherlands[5] and associating with British firms in some cases.[6] Additionally, Dutch criminals invest in property and legitimate businesses such as hotels and clubs, which provides opportunities for money laundering.[7] A crackdown on motorcycle gangs in the Netherlands has resulted in increased activity of Dutch criminal bikers on the Costa del Sol,[8] while Dutch Moroccan drug gangs are also active in the area.[9]

Dutch fugitives have taken residence in Thailand[10] and have also been involved in money laundering in the country.[11]

Since approximately 2005 there has been an increase in foreign organised criminal groups committing offences in the Netherlands. For instance, on 19 May 2021, an armed car robbery ended in a large-scale police chase through Amsterdam, the death of a suspect, wounding of two more suspects, the arrest of seven suspects and the burning of two high-end get-away vehicles.[12]

At 14:15 p.m. several reports were made about an armed robbery on the Meeuwenlaan in northern Amsterdam. It was reported that around 7 masked and heavily armed people were shooting their weapons, loading gold and diamonds in the back of three vehicles and then fleeing the scene. The gold and diamonds were reportedly stolen from a Brinks heavily guarded money transport, which was making a delivery at Schöne Edelmetaal (precious metals) and worth around €50 million.[13]

After the suspects fled the scene in a Porsche Cayenne, an Audi RS6 and a Renault Espace they ran into police, who responded with a helicopter and according to witnesses, around 40 vehicles. In the town of Broek in Waterland, around eight kilometers north of Amsterdam, the vehicles partially split up. The driver of the Renault drove into a garden of a resident and opened fire on the police officers chasing him. The police officers returned fire and the suspect was killed in this shootout.[14]

The other vehicles were abandoned and set on fire, after which the remaining suspects fled into a field. The police were again shot at and in the returned fire two suspects were wounded. In total six suspects were arrested. Several hours later another suspect was arrested while driving on the A16 highway near Rotterdam. Reports state that the suspects have Belgian and French nationalities. The vehicles also carried Belgian and French license plates. The suspect killed in the cross-fire was a 47-year-old French citizen.[15]

The penose concerns organized criminal groups with ties to the country of the Netherlands itself. Due to immigration there are strong Turkish, Chinese, Yugoslav, Russian, Albanian and Italian communities in the Netherlands. Criminal outfits such as the Turkish mafia, Triads, Serbian mafia, Russian mafia, Albanian mafia, and the 'Ndrangheta are not regarded as a part of the traditional Penose, although they're an active part of the Dutch criminal underworld nonetheless. The reason why Surinamese, Antillean, Moroccan and Ambonese groups are considered to be a part of the Penose is because their criminal groups were formed and based in the Netherlands, whereas the Turkish or Serb gangs are part of a criminal group based in their home country.

• Klaas Bruinsma trafficked hashish from Pakistan. His nickname was De Dominee ("The Reverend") due to his habit of dressing in black and lecturing others.
• Willem Holleeder was one of the perpetrators of the Heineken kidnapping in 1983. In the early 2000s, he extorted real estate trader Willem Endstra. Endstra was later killed by Holleeder.
• Cor van Hout was the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken. After serving jail time, he went back into the underworld together with his brother-in-law Willem Holleeder. He was assassinated in 2003, following other unsuccessful assassination attempts in 1996 and 2000.
• John Mieremet and Sam Klepper made up a successful duo in the criminal underworld. They were mostly involved in the hashish trade and robberies. In 2005, Mieremet was shot in Thailand.
• Willem van Boxtel, the long-time president of the Amsterdam Hells Angel chapter was described by the Canadian journalists Julian Sher and William Marsden as the man who created "one of the most powerful underworld organizations in Europe".[29]
• Paul de Vries, known as "the Butcher", president of the Hells Angels Limburg chapter and considered to be one of the most violent Dutch criminals. De Vries was killed by his fellow Hells Angels in 2004.
• Louis Hagemann, known as "Long Louis", Hells Angel convicted in 2003 of murdering a family in 1984.
• Ridouan Taghi the main suspect in the Marengo trial.

• Sher, Julian; Marsden, William (2006). Angels of Death: Inside the Bikers' Empire of Crime. Toronto: Alfred Knopf Canada. ISBN 9780307370327.