The 39-year-old man from Eindhoven who was sentenced last week to 3 years in prison for running a drug lab in Luyksgestel is a fugitive. The man did not show up at court and he is now being sought nationally and internationally.
The public prosecutor confirms this to Omroep Brabant. The Eindhoven native was arrested in Spain last summer on suspicion of drug trafficking. The judge allowed him to wait for his case at home, but he has now left.
Encrochat
Police tracked the man down after the discovery of a drug lab in Luyksgestel in 2020. By reading along with a large number of decrypted chat messages sent via cryptocommunication platforms such as Encrochat, it became clear that the man was involved in the lab.
Further investigation revealed that he was believed to be engaged in large-scale drug trafficking and hard drug production. He was also suspected of money laundering. The court acquitted him of the latter.
Waiting at home
Het Openbaar Ministerie (public prosecutor) confirms to Omroep Brabant that the man, after not being present at the verdict, has disappeared without a trace. He is “internationally signaled”, which means that police in the Netherlands and abroad are looking for him.
The judge ruled last October that the man was allowed to await his case at home because his “personal interests” at the time outweighed the risk of flight, according to the ruling. Exactly what those interests were is not known.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
