Piet S.: The “Billion” Dollar Baddie
Ah, the life of crime! It’s like the world’s most elaborate game of hide and seek—except in this version, the stakes are a whopping 99 million euros and your “hider” is a 68-year-old man who probably thought the only thing that could catch him was a bad back. Welcome to the wild and wacky world of Piet S., the drug baron who’s apparently been snacking on the wrong side of the law for the last few decades.
According to the Public Prosecution Service, Piet S., hailing from The Hague, has plunged into an ocean of illicit substances like a kid in a candy store. We’re talking everything from cocaine to crystal meth. You name a drug, and it’s likely that Piet’s got a horror story about how he hustled it like it was the last pack of custard creams at the corner shop.
This isn’t just your run-of-the-mill drug lord who throws cash at problems like confetti. No, no! Piet S. had an entire ensemble cast of miscreants—bribing customs officials and port employees while juggling eight different companies to launder money like a modern-day magician. Houdini would’ve been envious—if only he could have turned water into cocaine, right?
What’s truly delightful here is that just a year ago, our dear Piet was sentenced to seventeen years in prison—that’s like a lifetime supply of free Wi-Fi and not much else! And while the sentence was even longer than the prosecution had requested, his antics have only slipped him into a public appeal situation. Clearly, this isn’t the last act in Piet’s theatrical performance of “The Great Escape—Criminal Edition.”
In a separate sequel to this serious saga, the Public Prosecution Service is attempting to “pluck” some of the members from Piet’s ensemble cast. Kind of like a really critical game of musical chairs—but instead of a chair, you’re fighting over 99 million euros. The kind of money that could buy a small island or fund a lifetime supply of avocado toast, depending on your priorities.
What’s even more entertaining is the police have already patted themselves on the back by seizing hundreds of thousands of euros, along with some seriously flashy toys—luxury watches, expensive cars, and heaps of real estate in Spain. So, it’s safe to say that there was a frequent flyer program for drug money! But alas, the elusive million euros remain like a carrot dangled in front of a galloping donkey. The prosecution suspects Piet has hidden more than just his bad decisions. They believe he’s squirrelled away a fortune somewhere, like a greedy squirrel hoarding acorns for the winter—except in a different context that’s a tad less wholesome.
So what’s next for Piet S., the man who made a career out of dodging the law like it’s an ex at a party? With 99 million euros on the line, an appeal looming, and a substantial amount of his assets tucked away like a magician’s tricks, one can only hope his next performance is either a courtroom drama worthy of an Oscar or just him trying to figure out how to count that cash while in cuffs. Stay tuned!
ANP Court drawing by Piet S.
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:00
The Public Prosecution Service wants almost 100 million euros from the convicted drug baron Piet S. from The Hague. He would have earned that with his years of dealing in all kinds of drugs.
Piet S., now 68, was the head of a large criminal organization that smuggled drugs all over the world. S. and his co-suspects traded in large quantities of cocaine and hashish, but also in amphetamine, crystal meth, heroin and ecstasy. The group bribed customs officers and port employees and used eight companies to launder drug money.
A year ago, Piet S. was sentenced to seventeen years in prison, even higher than the Public Prosecution Service had demanded. The case is currently on appeal.
Pick
In a separate procedure, the Public Prosecution Service is now trying to ‘pluck’ a number of members from the organization. The public prosecutor today asked the court to take more than 99 million euros from Piet S. and several co-suspects.
In the investigation into Piet S., the police already seized hundreds of thousands of euros, as well as expensive cars, luxury watches, boats and real estate in Spain, among other places. The Public Prosecution Service saw this as proof that he must have earned millions from his drug trade, although they were unable to actually find all the money. The Public Prosecution Service believes that he has a large part of his assets hidden somewhere.
