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19 August 2004
AMSTERDAM — Justice officials investigating the murder of three Dutch Hells Angels have charged fellow members of the motorbike club with being part of a criminal organisation.
This is the first time an entire Hells Angels chapter, rather than individual members, has been officially linked to organised crime in the Netherlands.
Newspaper De Volkskrant said police are trying to establish if the suspects in the Nomads chapter in Oirsbeek worked with other Dutch Hells Angel clubs to trade in drugs, and whether the link extended to the Caribbean Brothers, a Curacao-based club in the Dutch Antilles with ties to the Nomads.
The Hells Angels have always denied any involvement with organised crime. They are said to be worried that if the 10 are convicted, the entire bikers club may be banned in the Netherlands.
The 10 are members of the Nomads chapter in south Limburg. They have been under investigation since their three “brothers” were murdered in February. The suspects deny all involvement.
Paul de Vries, 54, Cor Peijenburg, 34, and Serge Wagener, 33, suffered multiple gunshot wounds and their bodies were dumped in a stream in the town Echt, not far from the Nomads clubhouse in Oirsbeek. They had been tortured before being shot.
There was speculation in the media at the time that they were killed after a drug deal went wrong. De Vries was the president of the Nomads, and investigators have focused on the other club members.
The public prosecutor’s office has revealed the suspects are believed by police to be part of the criminal organisation involved in blackmail, drug dealing, kidnapping, murder and weapon possession.
In March police raided a house and rescued two bikers from Curacao who were apparently being held hostage by Hells Angels members. Both “hostages” were carrying guns.
Newspaper De Telegraaf said Thursday the prosecution case against the Hells Angels in relation to the murder largely depends on Angelo Diaz, one of the Antillean bikers. He has allegedly given a statement outlining the background to the murders. He has been placed in the witness protection programme.
[Copyright Expatica News 2004]
Subject: Dutch news, Hells Angels in the Netherlands