FBIS4-43801 "drweu120_b_94006"
FBIS-WEU-94-120 Daily Report 16 Jun 1994
BENELUX Netherlands

Official Report Notices Increase in Organized Crime

Official Report Notices Increase in Organized Crime BR1706123394 Amsterdam DE VOLKSKRANT in Dutch 16 Jun 94 p 3 BR1706123394 Amsterdam DE VOLKSKRANT Dutch BFN [Unattributed article: "The Growth of Organized Crime -- `Gangs Are Increasingly Settling Into the World of Ordinary Life,' CRI Says"] [Text] Organized crime in the Netherlands is on the increase. Moreover, criminal groups are becoming more and more professional and are increasingly managing to settle into the world of ordinary life, claims the 1993 annual report by the Central Research Information division (CRI), which was published Wednesday [15 June]. The CRI, which collects data on crime, confirms that in 1993, there were 98 active criminal gangs that could be described as "highly organized." In 1991, there were 59, and when they were first inventoried in 1988 only three such groups were detected. By organizing themselves in a more professional manner, these gangs are making increasingly large profits. For example, the CRI cites the ecstasy group that was broken up in 1992, which achieved an annual turnover of 300 million guilders [G], with a net result of G240 million. Only a few tens of millions could be traced. The rest has probably been invested in the world of ordinary life. The CRI notes that the proceeds of crime are laundered on a large scale in the Netherlands. Already back in 1991, the Fiscal Information and Investigation Department calculated that G1 billion were being laundered every nine months, using exchange offices among other methods. According to the CRI, control of unusual money transfers has now been improved. One growing new trend is for criminal groups to attempt to counter the work done by the police and justice authorities. The gangs observe police officers at work, eavesdrop on them, threaten senior officers in the course of investigations, and spread false reports aimed at portraying such officers in a damaging light. These defamation campaigns are causing the police and justice departments considerable nuisance because on each occasion an enquiry has to be made as to whether there can be talk of corruption. Organized crime has a strongly international character. Criminal gains are channeled off to tax paradises where there is little monitoring of finances. Approximately 40 percent of the core members of highly organized gangs come from abroad. They mete out physical violence more often than criminal groups led by Netherlanders. In 1993, there were more than 100 fatal shootings, 23 of which were executions carried out among the criminal fraternity. The annual report also provides data on specific offenses: Narcotic trafficking remains one of the most lucrative forms of organized crime. Several hundred criminal organizations are involved in such activities. According to the CRI, 85 percent of the heroin encountered in the Netherlands is brought in by Turkish gangs working the so-called Balkan route. Turkish coffee houses play a major role in such sales. Smuggling cocaine to Europe is virtually entirely in the hands of organizations based in the Colombian town of Cali. In 1993, more heroin and cocaine was intercepted than in 1992. In addition, a higher number of drug laboratories were closed down. However, the total amount of marijuana confiscated by the authorities decreased. The number of attempted hold-ups increased from almost 2,300 to approximately 2,700, but the number of successful hold-ups dropped. Financial institutions, hotels, and restaurants, and "other businesses" are the main targets of armed robbers. One-third of all hold-ups are committed within the area of jurisdiction of Amsterdam, which comprises the provinces of North Holland and Utrecht. Relatively speaking, the number of hold-ups is increasing fastest (by 35 percent) in the police region of Rotterdam-Rijmond. For the fifth successive year, the percentage of solved hold-ups has decreased. The figure for 1993 is 29 percent. The number of car thefts has doubled in just 10 years. In 1993, more than 33,000 motor vehicles were stolen. Cars manufactured by Opel are the favorite targets of car thieves, by a margin of almost 10,000 vehicles. Of all the vehicles stolen, 59 percent are subsequently found, half of these within five days of being stolen. According to the CRI, this means that many thefts are instances of joyriding, i.e. "the fulfillment of a one-off need for a vehicle." Finally, the annual report indicates that a higher number of financial and economic offenses are being committed. Since the Center for Reporting Unusual Transactions was set up two years ago, more than 5,000 suspicious financial transactions have been reported, worth a total of G2.4 billion. It emerged that in half of these cases, the persons involved already had a criminal record. A considerably higher number of forged banknotes were confiscated, the 100-guilder note being the forgers' favorite. Thanks to better registration by three special police teams, a substantially higher number of instances of computer crime came to light. One new form of computer crime involves the misuse of international telecommunications facilities. For example, it was discovered that long-distance calls were being made at the local Netherlands tariff from the Netherlands via Denmark. The Danish telephone company concerned lost approximately G2.5 million as a result.