Dutch marines on drugs charges in Aruba

Friday, March 26, 2004

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands: In a scandal for the Dutch military, four marines have been arrested in Aruba on drugs charges after cocaine was seized in the suspects' houses and cars.

According to a report by Expatica News, the public prosecutor's office in the Aruban capital Oranjestad has confirmed that the four men were arrested on 17 March, but a spokeswoman refused to reveal the quantity of drugs seized.

The drugs were found during raids jointly carried out by the military police, customs officials, police and the Co-operative Investigative Team, news agency ANP reported.

Two of the marines are still in custody and a judge has extended their remand detention by an extra eight days. Investigations are being conducted to determine the full extent of the marines' alleged involvement in the drugs trade.

The four marines were deployed on the Caribbean island of Aruba with about 200 other Dutch soldiers. The Netherlands is in the midst of a crackdown against the drugs trade between Amsterdam and the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.

A body scanner has been installed at the airport on the Antillean island of Curacao and stringent checks are being made at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, which will soon make use of a body scanner also to detect smugglers carrying drugs hidden inside their body.

Several emergency jail complexes have also been set up across the Netherlands to house drug smuggling detainees.

Rounding off a five-day visit to the Antilles, Defence Minister Henk Kamp has said Dutch marines will assist the Antillean coast guard crackdown on the cocaine trade, public news service NOS reported.

Large quantities of cocaine are transported by speedboat to the islands and many drug shipments are then smuggled to the Netherlands.

A military spokesman said the two marines who have been released from custody will be repatriated to the Netherlands and if found guilty, will be discharged from the military. The other two men still in remand also face repatriation and dismissal.

The prosecution has not ruled out further arrests.

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