MAASTRICHT - The tip could not have come at a better time for the National Criminal Investigation Department. Just as more and more indications of an imminent power struggle between the notorious motorcycle clubs Hells Angels and Satudarah were emerging in mid-2010, the Criminal Intelligence Unit (CIE) presented a report containing explosive information.

Satudarah do business with Lithuanian criminals

A total of at least nine people have now been named as suspects in the case, including the leader of e the Satudarah chapter in 3 Maastricht and three members of 1 the same motorcycle gang from Tilburg. In October, three Satudarah members from Breda were already arrested for the alleged extortion of some catering entrepreneurs. The dossier reveals that the criminal network around Satudarah uses performers, usually motorcycle CluB lower in the pecking order, and "facilitator. These are 1 people who store, for example -raw materials that are used for the production of synthetic drugs. One S. from Helmond is said to be one of them. This Brabander, originally a pharmacy assistant, is boss of an Eindhoven company dealing in chemicals.

Raw materials

In addition, during the investigation, the National Criminal Investigation Department came upon the trace of a link between alleged criminal actions by Satudarah on the one hand and connections from Weert and Lithuania on the other, through tap conversations, among other things. Satudarah member A. is said to be the man who maintained contacts with the Lithuanian group. Via this Baltic country - raw materials for the production of hard drugs are transported to Limburg, according to the investigation services. The cars they use for those drugs, transports are rented from a garage company in Weert, secret informants report.

investigators support during the still ongoing Akutan investigation that there are frequent contacts between the Lithuanian drug organization and the group affiliated with Satudarah members. That conclusion is drawn during observations of meetings between the Lithuanians and Satudarah members at Satudarah's clubhouse in Tilburg and at another location near Weert. On Nov. 30 last year, hundreds of police officers raided premises in Breda, Tilburg, Eindhoven, Weert and Helmond. A Satudarah leader (A.M.) is arrested in his car near Nieuwegein and at his parents' home, among other things, valuable watches are found. His administration is also seized In the clubhouse of Satudarah in Tilburg, the investigators seize marijuana, motorcycles and hashish, among other things. At other locations the police find weapons, large amounts of cash and raw materials for the manufacture of drugs. In Maastricht, one M., leader of the Satudarah branch in Maastricht, is arrested. According to prosecutors, he was involved in smuggling thousands of ecstasy pills to Indonesia in early 2011. In the capital Jakarta, however, things go wrong, resulting in the bag being confiscated by local authorities upon arrival.

The role of Limburger M. is as good as clear by then, however, because his phone conversations have been tapped. The Akutan investigation is new evidence for police and prosecutors that many members of motorcycle gangs like the Satudarah and Hells Angels are deep into the criminal world. Yet top prosecutors have not (yet) decided to label the club a criminal organization. After several sops in investigations against the Hells Angels, police and prosecutors opted for a different strategy. If individual members of the motorcycle clubs make a mistake, the investigations against these suspects will be given the highest priority. Ultimately, the Justice Department hopes in this way to rid the motorcycle clubs in the Netherlands of all criminal elements.