In July 2021, reporter Peter R. de Vries was shot dead in the middle of Amsterdam. The order is said to have been carried out by a notorious drug gang. The police are now arresting one of the suspected masterminds behind the murder.
In the murder case of Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries, investigators have caught a possible man behind it. It is said to be a 26-year-old Pole, as reported by the Amsterdam daily Het Parool. Prosecutors confirmed the arrest to reporters. It's the third suspect in the case.
De Vries was shot dead in the middle of Amsterdam in July 2021, he was 64 years old. Two suspects were arrested shortly after the crime. You face life imprisonment. The verdict is to be announced on July 14. A telephone had been seized from the two men, in which a previously unknown person had given direct instructions for the murder. This person is said to be the Pole who has now been arrested, as the media write.
According to media reports, the previously convicted man has been in custody for another case since October. According to information from "Het Parool", he is said to have a direct connection to the alleged boss of a notorious drug gang, Ridouan Taghi. Investigators assume that Taghi was the orderer of the murder. De Vries was the key witness who heavily incriminated Taghi and his gang in court. The brother and the lawyer of the key witness had already been murdered beforehand.
In the mammoth trial against the Taghi drug gang, the Dutch public prosecutor had demanded life imprisonment for the main accused. According to the indictment, Taghi and four of his alleged accomplices were responsible for six contract killings and several attempted murders. High prison sentences of up to 27 years were also demanded of the other defendants.
The public prosecutor spoke of a "destructive violence" of the organization. Most of the time, the accused remained silent during the trial. Judgments are not expected until next year. The so-called Marengo trial is one of the largest and most spectacular criminal proceedings in the country. A total of 16 men have been charged.
