Expatica news

Man murdered as Dutch crime war continues

28 May 2004

AMSTERDAM — In the latest in a series of Dutch gangland hits, police have confirmed that drugs gangster Gijs van Dam Jr. died shortly after he was shot in a Dutch seaside town on Friday morning. He had previously survived a shooting in Amsterdam in 2002.

The victim was shot in the head while he sat in a car at Ing. Friedhoffplein in the town of Zandvoort, the website of newspaper De Telegraaf reported.

Van Dam Jr. was rushed to the VU Hospital in Amsterdam, and a police spokesman said he was in a critical condition. Later on Friday, it was confirmed that Van Dam had died of his injuries.

The two gunmen escaped the scene by car and police found the burning vehicle abandoned not far from the scene of the shooting. The suspects reportedly transferred to a second car and a helicopter is assisting in the search.

Amsterdam and the surrounding towns have been the scene of a series of gangland shootings in recent years; the most recent one claimed the life of real estate millionaire Willem Endstra, said by some to be the “banker of the underworld”.

Endstra was shot and killed on the Apollolaan in Amsterdam by an unknown assailant on 14 May.

Gijs van Dam Jr. was severely wounded in a shooting on the Willem van Weldammelaan in front of his home in Amsterdam-Buitenveldert in December 2002. He was hit in the head, chest and leg and has been in a wheelchair ever since.

He was also kidnapped at a young age in October 1985 and the kidnappers demanded NLG 8 million in cash as ransom, news agency ANP reported. Van Dam Jr. was eventually freed by police.

Van Dam’s father is a renowned figure in the underworld, known for dealing cannabis. He is believed to have done business with Sam Klepper, 40, who was shot and killed in a public shooting in October 2000 on the Gelderlandplein in Amsterdam.

[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

Subject: Dutch news