YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → Hoe een mislukt megatransport van 11.500 kilo coke leidde naar biker Geert F.

Hoe een mislukt megatransport van 11.500 kilo coke leidde naar biker Geert F. — Transcript

by De Limburger · 6,302 words · 978 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:02For a long time, the police and justice
0:04system didn't have him in clear focus.
0:06Yes, he moves in the world of the
0:08Bandidos in Sittard. That is a
0:10motorcycle club with a reputation for
0:12violence and intimidation. But that
0:16this man would grow into an important
0:18player in an international cocaine
0:19investigation, the authorities didn't
0:21see that coming. But that changes when
0:25investigators in Belgium crack
0:27encrypted phones and the justice
0:29department begins to suspect he is a
0:31true narco.
0:32In various places in Limburg, Brabant,
0:34Belgium, and Germany, the police
0:36conducted raids on motorcycle gangs
0:38early in the morning.
0:40A normal person. We are also just
0:42people. We are not animals. We didn't
0:45do anything.
0:48He is a Belgian with a machine gun
0:50tattooed on his face. A man who,
0:52according to the justice department,
0:54manages to arrange a gigantic cocaine
0:57shipment of 11,500 kg to Europe and
0:59also sees how it subsequently goes
1:01completely wrong.
1:03The drugs have a street value of nearly
1:051 billion and were hidden in a
1:07container with scrap metal. This is the
1:11story of Geert F. Welcome to the
1:12underworld. My name is Bas van Mulken
1:36and sitting across from me is crime
1:38reporter Bas Dingemansen. Bas, we're
1:40talking about Geert F. We have already
1:42seen that name pass by in an earlier
1:43episode. It was about "Boekie," the
1:45accountant of the underworld. Where do
1:47we start the story about Geert F today?
1:49Uh, in September 2020 in Guyana, so on
1:52the other side of the world. Actually,
1:54South America, neighbor of Suriname.
1:59And uh, that day in September 2020,
2:01five containers are loaded onto a ship.
2:06If you're thinking, "How does Bas know
2:08all that?" I know that from Philip
2:10Pergens, my colleague from Het Belang
2:12van Limburg in Belgium. Five containers
2:15on that ship and, on paper, this is a
2:17normal transport. Nothing strange about
2:20it. There is all kinds of scrap in
2:22those containers. So, uh, old iron,
2:24rusty bicycles, car rims, just trash at
2:27first glance. Nothing, nothing wrong
2:30with that. But that is not the case. It
2:32is just a facade. Because among all
2:35that scrap, there is also a cube that
2:37was specially made for this job. Welded
2:41together, actually. And inside that
2:43cube is 11,500 kg of cocaine.
2:46That is really an extraordinary amount.
2:4811,500 kg. When you talk about scrap,
2:51why is it in the scrap specifically? I
2:53know the shipments, the banana
2:55shipments, let's say, but why in this
2:56way?
2:57Yes, that has obviously been thought
2:58through. It is no coincidence that
3:00there happens to be a cube among all
3:02that scrap. There are two reasons for
3:05it, but it is important to know.
3:08Prosecutors suspect that Geert F is the
3:10one who devised this plan. So, the
3:13scrap metal method, and that he’s
3:15also taking on the entire organization.
3:17And why would he have come up with that
3:19? It’s actually quite sophisticated.
3:22That scrap metal comes in all sorts of
3:24different shapes and it’s various
3:26types of metal. So when you see that on
3:28a scan, it doesn't immediately stand
3:30out if there’s an odd shape or a
3:32different material mixed in. That’s
3:35one thing. Two, because of all that
3:38metal, the scanner’s beam is actually
3:40slightly distorted. Not completely, but
3:44the chances are a bit higher. So
3:46that’s also a plus for those carrying
3:48it out. And such a scrap metal
3:52container is actually checked manually,
3:54so physically, by customs. And those
3:56just aren't popular containers to
3:58inspect, because you’ll cut your arms
4:00and hands open, you know. They are
4:03slightly more inclined to let such a
4:05container pass. So that has clearly
4:07been thought through. And it’s also a
4:10method that works. If you dare to put
4:1511,500 kg on a container, on a shipment
4:18, then you’re confident it will
4:20succeed. Prior to this transport,
4:24several shipments had already gone from
4:26South America, from Guyana, to the port
4:29of Antwerp. They know this can work.
4:34Otherwise, you wouldn't take such an
4:36enormous risk. 11,500 kg, just to put
4:38it into perspective, represents a value
4:41—and I'm talking about wholesale
4:44price only—of at least € 170
4:46million. The street value is much
4:49higher. It’s heading toward € 600
4:51million. This is about something
4:54significant. But then, shortly before
4:57the container arrives at the port of
4:59Antwerp, there’s a major hitch in the
5:01plans.
5:02What happens then?
5:05An important link, a Belgian man in the
5:08international cocaine trade, is
5:10arrested. And this man is an
5:15acquaintance of Geert F. And this all
5:17happens while that container with 11.5
5:19tons of coke is en route from South
5:21America to Antwerp and later to the
5:23Netherlands. That important link is a
5:28Belgian businessman. That’s Tom B.
5:32He’s someone who prosecutors say
5:34supports almost all cocaine traffickers
5:36on a logistical level. But that’s no
5:40small feat, of course. He is an
5:42important, yes, an important pawn in
5:44the whole operation. And you should
5:46know, Geert is also arrested. So not
5:49just Tom, but also the Geert F we’re
5:51talking about now. He is also taken by
5:55the police, along with his wife, at the
5:57very moment that this huge cargo is on
5:59its way.
6:01But why is he being arrested, then?
6:04Well, Tom B isn't being arrested before
6:06the transport is underway, of course,
6:08because the police don't know about
6:10that yet. But there is another shipment
6:13from a year prior. That one concerns
6:17nearly 3,000 kg of cocaine from Costa
6:19Rica, so again from that Central
6:22American region. And the prosecution
6:26suspects that not only is Tom involved
6:28in that, but Geert is involved as well.
6:32And so Geert is arrested along with his
6:34wife, and they are really put through
6:36the ringer by the police, asking, "What
6:38is your relationship with Tom B?""What
6:40is your relationship with the other
6:42suspects?""How do you know them?""Did
6:45you have a role in that shipment of
6:47nearly 3,000 kg?" All while those
6:5211,500 kg are actually in transit. And
6:55you have to realize that at that moment
6:57, those 11,500 kg is the largest drug
6:59shipment ever. At least for Belgium,
7:02but you can safely say for Western
7:04Europe, one of the biggest ever. And at
7:08that moment, Tom and Geert are key
7:10figures within that trade. They are
7:13both in custody. That causes stress for
7:17the entire periphery, the men
7:19surrounding Geert. But that is only for
7:23a while, because ultimately there is
7:25too little evidence to keep Geert
7:27detained for that shipment from Costa
7:29Rica, for those nearly 3,000 kg. And
7:33when he is released, he has to find a
7:35place to store the drugs. Because, well
7:38, the businessman who was going to
7:40arrange it, who was going to manage the
7:42logistics for the transport, Tom B, is
7:44in jail. Geert has to look for another
7:47location, and it seems he succeeds.
7:49So, the cocaine is on its way, 11,500
7:53kg. Geert F was arrested, but then
7:55subsequently released. So actually,
7:57there's nothing wrong. Everything can
7:59just continue.
8:00Yes, you would think so. But a few
8:03weeks later, we are now at October 17th
8:05, that huge load of coke arrives in
8:07that container full of scrap metal. And
8:11indeed, it arrives at the port of
8:13Antwerp without any problems. The
8:16criminals behind it—regardless of
8:18whether it's actually Geert, as the
8:20prosecution claims—but the criminals
8:23behind it keep each other informed via
8:25Sky ECC. And Sky ECC. I think I've
8:28explained it here before, but it's a
8:30kind of more heavily encrypted version
8:32of WhatsApp, for example. Just a chat
8:34service. Someone at the port nicknamed
8:38"Kaasje" is providing updates and sends
8:40—I’m quoting literally— "
8:42Clearance has started. Everything
8:45smooth and normal." Well, a sigh of
8:47relief, right? The K arrives, but then
8:51the container isn't released. You
8:54should know that at the port,
8:56containers are set to red or green.
8:58Well, if it’s on red, you’ve got a
9:00problem. Then the container gets
9:01inspected. If it’s on green, it can
9:04pass through, and then your haul is
9:06basically in, on European soil. This
9:11one isn't being released because,
9:13according to customs, something is
9:14wrong with the cargo weight. The scrap
9:20metal dealer in Guyana made a
9:21calculation error, so the weight on
9:23paper no longer matches the actual
9:25weight of the container. And naturally,
9:29customs wonders: "Yes, how is this
9:31possible? What’s going on here?" And
9:35so, that container is held for days at
9:37the port of Antwerp. Yes, that causes
9:41unrest. Panic breaks out in the
9:43underworld. Because 11.5 tons doesn't
9:45belong to just one person. Many
9:48different criminal groups invest in
9:49that. So things get tense. The scrap
9:53dealer in Guyana who sent the
9:55containers is now on the run. And
9:58rightly so, because you’ve really got
10:00a problem. I just told you what kind of
10:01amounts we’re talking about here.
10:03That man is being held accountable for
10:05it. And we see that later in the chat
10:07messages, those Sky messages. Someone
10:11who authorities say is part of Geert's
10:13group says: Regarding the scrap dealer
10:15who messed up: "Finish him, brother. I
10:18told him 1,000 times: 'Watch the weight
10:21on the bill of lading.'"
10:22Yeah. And what happens then?
10:25Well, Geert is not happy, of course. He
10:29wants those drugs in. At least,
10:31assuming we're talking about Geert,
10:33right? Following the line of the
10:35prosecution. He wants those drugs.
10:38It’s about an incredible amount of
10:40money, so he tries twice to secretly
10:42pluck the cocaine out of that container
10:44. And that fails. And then comes the
10:48final blow. On October 27th, the police
10:52actually open the container. That
10:54hadn't happened yet, up to that point.
10:56It had only been held. But on October
10:5827th, it happens. And they soon come
11:01across that cube, of course, because
11:02it’s a striking shape. And they open
11:05it. Yes, there are photos of that.
11:07It’s, it’s bizarre. They cut open
11:11that cube and the bricks of cocaine
11:13just roll out, and then it's the
11:14biggest drug bust ever in Belgium.
11:18Yeah. Yeah, it's really bizarre. But
11:20doesn't it also mean that if you lose
11:2311,500 kg of coke, or lose it to the
11:25justice system, that it's the end of
11:27such a criminal career?
11:30Yeah, you'd think so. Yeah, that's how
11:32I looked at it too. Only when you read
11:35the chats that the justice department
11:37says are Geert's, you see a completely
11:39different reaction. He disappears
11:43towards Spain, to Marbella, right. A
11:46luxury coastal town in Spain. He knows
11:49that place. He had been there more
11:51often. And when he is asked there by
11:53people, "Hey, do you have any more
11:55blocks," meaning kilos of cocaine. Yeah
11:58, then he says, "Yeah, I'm already
12:00working on a new shipment." So, that's
12:02possible. And you also see in chat
12:05messages that the justice department
12:07says are his, that he's actually joking
12:10a bit about losing that batch of
12:11cocaine, about such a batch worth
12:13millions of euros. Yeah, he doesn't
12:16seem to lose any sleep over that.
12:18Can't really imagine that. Especially
12:20when it involves such amounts of money.
12:22Let's park that drug bust for a moment.
12:24First, let's look at Geert F. How did
12:26you, when did he come onto your radar?
12:28We actually have to go back to 2014 in
12:30a completely different context. It had
12:32nothing to do with cocaine or anything
12:34like that. But you have to know that
12:36the 2010s, if you want to call it that,
12:39were very much colored by motorcycle
12:41clubs in Limburg. That province was
12:43really a walhalla for every club you
12:45could think of. So you had chapters of
12:47Bandidos, Hells Angels, Satudarah, No
12:50Surrender. Every major club had at
12:52least one chapter here in Geleen,
12:54Heerlen, Maastricht, Venlo. Um, and
12:57Bandidos was also founded in Limburg.
13:02And it's interesting to know, Bandidos
13:04is the big rival of the Hells Angels.
13:08And Bandidos was actually founded by a
13:10very notorious former Angel, Harry
13:12Raamakers. Now, I've been told that
13:18Harry, you know, has mutual friends and
13:20acquaintances with Geert. And it was
13:25decided at the founding of the club
13:26that Geert F. would join the Bandidos.
13:30Harry becomes the president of the club
13:32and Geert gets a prominent role.
13:34Yeah, Harry Raamakers. Yeah, I remember
13:36that name well, because he was in the
13:38spotlight quite a lot during that time
13:40too. Not a small player.
13:41No, certainly not. And Harry Raamakers
13:45is no ordinary club leader either. You
13:50could actually write at least one book
13:52about everything that has happened in
13:53his life. Maybe even an entire series
13:56of books. He has a rather intense past.
14:00And that goes way back, long before he
14:02founded the Bandidos. He was with the
14:05Angels, you know, as I said, with the
14:07Nomads. That was the Limburg branch of
14:11the Hells Angels. A very notorious
14:14chapter, too. And he was a member of No
14:16Surrender. So, this was actually his
14:18third motorcycle club, which is very
14:20unusual. One of the most well-known
14:24cases that perhaps more people
14:26recognize him from is from 2004 in
14:28Oirsbeek, at the clubhouse of the
14:30Nomads, the Limburg Hells Angels. Three
14:37club members were shot to death there.
14:40Absolutely riddled with bullets. By
14:42members of their own club. Raamakers
14:47and 14 other club members were
14:48initially convicted for it. They were
14:52arrested and sentenced to six years in
14:54prison. On appeal, something happened
15:00that legal circles still can't stop
15:02talking about, all these years later.
15:08The court of appeal said: "We actually
15:09don't know which one of you did it.""We
15:12know someone among you did it, but not
15:14who.""So, we are acquitting you all."
15:19Yes, everyone's jaw hit the floor at
15:21that moment. And for Raamakers, it
15:25wasn't the first time he seemed to
15:27escape justice. Because in 2003, he
15:30walked free in another murder case. A
15:3419-year-old Antillean had been cut into
15:36pieces and found in a canal. Also a
15:39very gruesome case, but again, there
15:42was insufficient evidence to convict
15:44Raamakers. And this man brings the
15:48Bandidos, the great rivals of the
15:50Angels, to Sittard. Yes. And then he
15:54becomes the leader, and Geert gets
15:55involved.
15:56But how did he end up there?
16:01Look, Geert F is indeed Belgian, but
16:03it's good to know that in that
16:05Belgian-Dutch border region,
16:07specifically South Limburg and
16:08Tongeren-Borgloon where he's from. Yes.
16:14People do a lot of business there.
16:16It’s only a half-hour drive. And that
16:20is also his world. The criminal world,
16:24too. All those guys do business with
16:26each other. And well, he is quite an
16:29imposing figure. Geert F. A sturdy guy.
16:35He can intimidate people without even
16:36opening his mouth. So he is also rising
16:40very quickly through the ranks within
16:43the Bandidos. And he becomes Sergeant
16:46at Arms, which is someone who is
16:48actually supposed to maintain order and
16:50discipline within the club.
16:52And what kind of club is that, the
16:53Bandidos?
16:56Well, it has turned out to be a club
16:58that really thrives on violence and
17:00intimidation. Members are also involved
17:06in drugs, money laundering, and
17:08extortion. But there is one incident.
17:14That really stands out. It is 2015 in
17:18Sittard at a café called the Duck Out.
17:22And we actually know all of this so
17:24well because we have security footage
17:26of this whole incident. You can see 15
17:31Bandidos arriving there. The café has
17:36a terrace, and at that moment, there
17:37are people from the Red Devils present.
17:41That is a support club for the Hells
17:43Angels, actually. So, also rivals of
17:45the Bandidos. And the Duck Out is
17:48actually the regular hangout for those
17:50Red Devils. Well, the Bandidos arrive,
17:55they park their motorcycles, and they
17:57head straight toward the few Red Devils
17:59quite aggressively. In the lead, we
18:03obviously see Harry Raamakers. The
18:06president. He is very busy, talking and
18:09gesturing. You can just feel the
18:13tension. People are really wound up,
18:18and then suddenly things go wrong, and
18:20Geert F strikes out at another man, a
18:22Red Devil. Or so it seems. That man
18:28goes to the ground, and within a few
18:30seconds, it is total chaos. There is
18:34punching and kicking, and men are
18:35falling to the ground. Someone from the
18:39Red Devils is pushed over the edge of
18:41the terrace and gets hit even more.
18:45Another Bandido comes running over and
18:47kicks toward the head of the man on the
18:49ground. And yet another Bandido knocks
18:54over a motorcycle or tries to knock it
18:56over. And you have to imagine, such a
18:58thing weighs 300 kilograms. Yes,
19:00imagine if that lands on someone. Well,
19:03then you're done for, of course. And
19:06then suddenly, pop, you hear a bang.
19:09And you see that a shot is fired from
19:11inside the café, from the Duck Out.
19:15One of the Bandidos is hit, and you see
19:17them scatter like ants. They go in
19:20every direction. The Bandidos disappear
19:23, but they don't go home. I find this a
19:26, this is really a striking detail.
19:29They ride to Kerkrade to a restaurant.
19:32And back then, that was known as, uh,
19:35well, the regular hangout for the Hells
19:37Angels. And then they go and pose for a
19:40photo together in front of the
19:41restaurant. So, they take a group photo
19:44in front of the Angels 'regular spot.
19:48And they send that photo to one of the
19:49Angels' leaders.
19:51But that’s going to cause a war,
19:52right? What, what does the police do at
19:54a moment
19:55like that, actually? This is the major
19:57turning point, right? So, the incident
19:59at the dugout. Uh, that's where the
20:01police and the municipality say, "This
20:03far and no further." Um, they believe
20:05—and I’m talking about the police
20:07and the justice department—that the
20:09Bandidos are actually behaving like a
20:11criminal organization. That they
20:12constitute a gang. Um, and it's so
20:17severe that the Minister of Justice and
20:19Security at the time, Ard van der Steur
20:22, travels from The Hague to Maastricht,
20:24really to be fully briefed on this
20:26conflict and what we can do about it.
20:31And, uh, two days after the minister's
20:34visit, on May 27th, 2015, the police
20:37response follows immediately.
20:39At the Bandidos Motorcycle Club. They
20:41go all out. It’s 6:00 a.m. and Josie,
20:47Harry Raamakers’ pit bull, starts
20:49reacting to some noise at the front
20:51door. And Raamakers comes right down
20:56the stairs, you know. He trusts his dog
20:59. He is a huge animal lover. And he’s
21:02standing there in his underwear. And
21:06then he realizes, "Oh, okay, they’re
21:08coming for me." The SWAT team is on his
21:11doorstep, and he’s terrified—you
21:13have to imagine this—that they’re
21:15going to shoot his dog. And then, boom,
21:19the SWAT team storms in with, you know,
21:22people, right? You know the images: the
21:25balaclavas and, uh, heavy weapons. Uh,
21:29such a huge bang to smash the door in.
21:32And then they all pile onto Raamakers.
21:35Uh, and why? Why with so much force?
21:38Because Raamakers, uh, is considered—
21:40at that moment, at least—to be armed
21:42and dangerous, right? So they can't
21:44take any risks. Um, they put a
21:48blindfold on him, handcuffs behind his
21:50back, and then, uh, they lead him away
21:53in his bare feet, wearing a black
21:55Bandido shirt and his black underwear.
21:58Yeah, you really only see this kind of
22:00stuff in movies, don't you? Why, why do
22:02they approach it on such a large scale?
22:04Is that purely because he’s
22:05considered armed and dangerous, or
22:08they fear new confrontations, and even
22:10much tougher ones, you know. It keeps
22:14escalating, and, well, at the Dugout,
22:17there wasn't just a fight—it was
22:19old-school brawling. No, this time,
22:22shots were fired too. So, what's the
22:24reaction to that? Well, the feeling
22:28among the police and judicial
22:29authorities is that this could really
22:31escalate. But what was that whole
22:34business in the café about? What was
22:35that argument really about?
22:38That only really becomes clear years
22:40later. I'll tell you in a moment. You
22:44see, you first have to know that the
22:46authorities were hot on the heels of
22:48this motorcycle club, and after the
22:49violence at the Dugout, everything
22:51started to accelerate. And eventually,
22:54a criminal trial takes place because
22:56they conducted those raids, of course.
22:59Yes, it’s a logical consequence that
23:01a trial eventually had to happen. In
23:052021, at least 20 Bandidos members and
23:07some of their family members have to
23:10appear in court. And Geert F. is one of
23:14them. And the Public Prosecution
23:17Service actually links various
23:18incidents together in that case. So
23:23it’s not just about what happened
23:25there at the Dugout; it's also about a
23:27heated dispute over a fence, for
23:29example, and the extortion that
23:30followed. A conflict over a 10,000-euro
23:37loan, a deal with a real estate agent
23:39that got out of hand—there’s a
23:41sense of extortion, assault, and
23:43illegal money flows surrounding all of
23:45it. According to the authorities, these
23:50Bandidos members who were prosecuted
23:52resolved all these kinds of conflicts
23:55—over a fence, a loan, or a real
23:57estate agent—by bringing in their
23:59comrades, by involving club members. So
24:02you didn't just have a conflict with
24:04one person, but with an entire
24:06motorcycle club. The justice department
24:10doesn't see the Bandidos as an ordinary
24:12motorcycle club, as guys who just enjoy
24:15going for a ride. It's not a social
24:18club; it's a criminal organization. And
24:22according to the authorities, it is
24:24involved in extortion, money laundering
24:26, drug trafficking, violence, and
24:28weapons possession. And one of the most
24:33important pieces of evidence in the
24:35entire trial is that evening at the
24:37Dugout in Sittard. Because according to
24:41the prosecution, that incident
24:43perfectly illustrates how the club
24:45actually operated as a criminal
24:46organization.
24:48But that brings us back to that moment
24:50at the Dugout in Sittard. So tell me
24:51about the motive then. Shots were fired
24:53there, right?
24:54Hey, Judith here, very briefly. I
24:56promise. Want more stories from the
24:59underworld? Then don't forget to
25:00subscribe or follow. You can find all
25:03the links in the description of this
25:04episode. And if you have a question for
25:08Bas, send it in via @de_onderwereld on
25:10Instagram or leave a comment on YouTube
25:12and Spotify. And now, back to the story
25:16.
25:16And for a long time, the "why" remains
25:19silent. Until one person in the
25:22courtroom starts talking. Geert F. He
25:25explains that the feud actually started
25:28with, well, something seemingly very
25:30small. One of the guys from the
25:34Bandidos—and I'll quote Geert here
25:36literally—was set up. At a warehouse,
25:41the Angels, the rivals, took his colors
25:44. So, that biker jacket, so to speak.
25:49And according to Geert, they simply
25:50wanted to go and get that jacket back.
25:53And he says: "Yeah, we wanted to do
25:56that in a normal way. Without violence,
25:58without stress. Just, hey guys, give
26:00the jacket back." And Geert F says the
26:05Bandidos were looking for the president
26:07of the Angels who supposedly lived near
26:09that café, just to have a chat and
26:11resolve everything. No fuss. And when
26:17they can't find the president, they
26:18drive to the Dugout. But according to
26:22Geert, things go wrong as soon as
26:23someone shouts that they're going to
26:25shoot someone down. Well, the court
26:32hears this story from Geert F. And then
26:34wants to know from the president, Harry
26:36Raamakers, if he has his men, his
26:38troops, his Bandidos so poorly under
26:40control that when someone yells about
26:42shooting, they think they can
26:44immediately start swinging. But the
26:51most important man, the boss of the
26:53Bandidos, Harry Raamakers, isn't there
26:55that day. He called in sick because he
26:58had to take care of his sick parrots
27:00and take them to the vet.
27:01Back to the violence that ultimately
27:03happened at the Dugout; it was all
27:05about a jacket or a patch.
27:06That is what Geert F tells the judge.
27:09However, there is another scenario. You
27:12should know that the suspects, the
27:14Bandidos, were also wiretapped. Their
27:18phones were tapped. Recording equipment
27:22was placed in cars, for example, and
27:24those wiretapped conversations reveal
27:26that it was retaliation for a café
27:28fire in Kerkrade. And that café wasn't
27:32just any café. It was a place where
27:35Bandidos used to meet up. A sort of
27:38clubhouse, their own local bar. And
27:42that fire was supposedly started by
27:44someone from the Angels. So, in this
27:46scenario as well, there is that element
27:48of retaliation. Um, well, when it comes
27:50down to it, the suspects stick to one
27:53story, and that is the story of the
27:55stolen vest, the story of Geert F.
27:57And how were those men ultimately
27:59punished?
27:59Harry Raamakers, the president,
28:01received a 14-month prison sentence. He
28:03did file an appeal, though. And Geert
28:06F., he got 10 months in prison and he
28:08did not appeal. I still have that
28:1111,500 kilos of cocaine in the back of
28:13my mind. How did Geert F. end up in
28:15that coke trade?
28:16Yes, well. We always knew him as the
28:19man from the motorcycle club, and the
28:21authorities also thought for a long
28:23time that he was Harry Raamakers 'front
28:25man, right? So, that the Bandidos
28:27revolved around Raamakers and Geert was
28:30, uh, behind that. But his role within
28:33the Bandidos actually appears to be
28:35much larger than expected, as the
28:36authorities later discovered. Uh,
28:39according to the authorities, according
28:41to those investigations, he is, little
28:44by little, also becoming the financier
28:46and organizer of all sorts of large
28:49coke shipments from South America—
28:51Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil—and from
28:53all those international investigations,
28:56the image emerges: Geert F. is not just
28:58any biker.
29:01Let me just make sure I understand this
29:03correctly. You got to know Geert F.
29:05when he joined the Bandidos, right?
29:06Through Harry Raamakers. Back then, he
29:08was mainly a biker who threw the first
29:11punch at the dugout and that whole
29:12scene you described. But we also see
29:15his influence growing. His activities
29:18are likely growing along with him. Um,
29:20because you say you are also talking
29:21about various investigations where
29:23Geert F. comes up. Then we are talking
29:25about the coke trade. I am thinking of
29:27those 11,500 kg. Where are we in this
29:29story? Well, by now we are at the Costa
29:33investigation. A Belgian case file. Um,
29:37regular listeners might still remember
29:39it from our episode about "Boekie,"
29:41about Jub H., the accountant of the
29:44underworld. Um, and that actually
29:47starts in 2019. A massive batch of
29:50cocaine is discovered in the port of
29:52Antwerp. Um, and that is where what we
29:56will later know as the Costa file
29:57actually begins. And, over the years, a
30:02large network comes into view for the
30:04Belgian police, consisting of all kinds
30:06of people involved in that
30:08international trade. And what helps
30:11with that is, well, I mentioned earlier
30:13, Sky ECC—that WhatsApp for criminals
30:15, so to speak—the fact that the
30:17messaging service is cracked. All those
30:20messages certainly help in mapping out
30:22that enormous network. And Geert F.,
30:25the authorities say, is one of those
30:28people from that network. Um, in those
30:33intercepted chats, the investigation
30:35team, the police, they see that he has
30:38direct contact with other suspects,
30:40involved in making arrangements for
30:42shipments and deliveries. And, in total
30:48, Costa involves at least 25,000
30:50kilograms, with the expectation that it
30:53actually exceeds a hundred tons,
30:55heading toward 120,000 kilograms. And
31:00the routes, that's really the recurring
31:02story within Costa, they all run from
31:04South America to the port of Antwerp
31:06and often also on toward the
31:08Netherlands. And for that, various
31:12companies are used that supposedly
31:13order those containers.
31:15Yes, like that scrap metal.
31:17Like that scrap metal. Exactly. Um.
31:19And does Geert F. have a central role
31:21in this story?
31:22That is what the Public Prosecution
31:23Service thinks. And that makes him one
31:27of the most important suspects in that
31:29Costa case file.
31:31But how is that case exactly put
31:32together? Costa is, certainly in
31:35Belgium, but I dare say for Europe, one
31:38of the biggest cocaine cases of recent
31:40years. Actually extensive in many
31:44different ways. As I just said, it
31:48starts in 2019 with that big find in
31:50the port of Antwerp. And from that
31:54moment on, the police spend years
31:56digging. And it turns out they aren't
32:03dealing with one cell, with one group,
32:05but with multiple criminal networks,
32:07which all have their own structure, but
32:09their own specialty, as it were. There
32:15are four cells, really. You have the
32:19network of the Belgian Lucio Aquino.
32:22Well, I explained that earlier
32:23regarding Yupa. They are called the
32:26Sopranos of the Meuse. He is currently
32:29detained in a major mafia trial, so
32:31that gives you an idea of the kind of
32:33man we're talking about. You have a
32:37criminal network surrounding "Bolle Jos
32:39." At least, that's the suspicion. Well
32:42, we know Bolle Jos. Jos Leidekers from
32:44Breda. The most wanted man in our
32:47country. And then you have the third
32:50network. That is Geert F.'s. You might
32:54think, "I just talked about four
32:55networks, and that's right." I already
32:59spoke earlier in this episode about Tom
33:02B., that Belgian businessman. He has a
33:05unique nickname, the "Little Escobar of
33:08Kasterlee." Well, Escobar, we all know
33:12him, the major drug lord from Colombia.
33:17And that Little Escobar of Kasterlee
33:19was flanked by Willie van M., who is a
33:21former top officer from Belgium. And
33:27those two actually form their own
33:29little group and operate around those
33:31other three organizations. So that is
33:34essentially how it works in a nutshell.
33:36But then an officer who is involved in
33:38the trade themselves, right? That’s a
33:39fine group, that.
33:41Uh yeah. And how? Because what the
33:43justice department sees is that these
33:45networks work together, right, and they
33:47share, uh, people. So, uh, I was
33:49talking about those different
33:50specialties. Well, if you need "
33:52extractors," for example, people who
33:54pull cocaine out of containers at the
33:56port. Well, then you can borrow them
33:58from that group, and so on. So that’s
34:00how those specialists are exchanged,
34:02resources are exchanged, contacts in
34:04the ports are exchanged. Everything
34:07just to bring those large batches of
34:09cocaine in together, but also to be
34:11able to spread the risk, to be able to
34:13divide it among each other. And, uh,
34:16well that creates mutual trust, for
34:18what that's worth in that world. But
34:21yeah, you can also just share the costs
34:23that way.
34:23And what does it yield?
34:25Yeah, uh, massive piles of money if you
34:27believe the justice department, right,
34:29based on the calculations they’ve
34:31made. And they say, "Well, there is at
34:33least that 25,000 kg of coke that they
34:36were able to verify." Maybe even that
34:39120,000 kg. And those proceeds run into
34:43the billions of euros, at least
34:44according to the justice department. Um
34:47, but you don't just have those huge
34:49financial returns; the justice
34:51department has also identified more
34:53than 50 people. 50-plus suspects in
34:57that Costa case file. And those aren't
35:00just the big names, right, not just the
35:03Aquinos, not just Geert F, not just
35:05Bolle Jos, but also people you wouldn't
35:07immediately expect in such an
35:09incredibly massive cocaine case.
35:12Like
35:15there are, for example, a father and
35:18son from Landgraaf, the 70-year-old
35:20Frans Senior and, uh, his son Frans
35:23Junior. Um, those are two scrap metal
35:27dealers. And remember that shipment of
35:3211,500 kg that was ordered by their
35:34shell company, by their scrap yard? Um,
35:39I just mentioned, right, companies were
35:42brought in to order those containers,
35:44so there’s a sort of, yeah, a veneer
35:46of legality surrounding such a
35:48transport. Yeah, according to the
35:51justice department, that company in
35:53Landgraaf worked together with Geert by
35:56ordering that container with those 11.5
35:58tons of cocaine, so they must have
36:00known it didn't just contain scrap
36:02metal. Yeah, that’s how seemingly
36:06normal entrepreneurs from Landgraaf, a
36:09father and a son, um, yeah, end up in
36:11this massive trial. And what is quite
36:14notable, uh, against both of those men,
36:16so against father and son, 8 years in
36:19prison has been demanded. And, uh, the
36:21contact between the two has been
36:23completely broken. They are really in
36:26different camps and are pointing at
36:27each other as the guilty party in this
36:29story.
36:29And this Frans senior, he says he is 70
36:32years old. And does that make him the
36:34oldest in this case file?
36:35No, I understand why you're asking that
36:37. 70 is truly an age that I don't often
36:39come across in such extensive criminal
36:41files. But the real old-timers are, for
36:45example, a truck driver of 86 who
36:48allegedly transported pellets of
36:50bananas with cocaine. And, of course,
36:54one of the prominent figures, that old
36:56top cop, Willy van M. Yes, he is also
36:59in his 80s.
37:00Then the file still has Costa. That is,
37:02of course, a gigantic trial. How is
37:04that going?
37:05It is at least coming to an end. Costa
37:08is huge, right? There are over 50
37:10defendants in it. It’s thousands of
37:13pages of files, you have to imagine,
37:15it's truly enormous. And the trial
37:18itself, well, it has just been very
37:20messy. Many hearing days that didn't go
37:23ahead due to all sorts of legal
37:25bickering, to put it bluntly. Hearing
37:29days that were postponed. The verdict
37:32has even been delayed. It was supposed
37:35to be July 1st, and now it is in the
37:37middle of summer vacation on July 30th.
37:40All in all, it's just taking a very
37:42long time.
37:42And what are the suspects actually
37:44saying?
37:46Most suspects have denied it or have
37:48reduced their role to a minimum. But
37:53most are actually remaining silent
37:55about their alleged share in the Costa
37:57case. Meanwhile, millions of euros in
38:01cash and in bank accounts have been
38:03seized. At least 100 cars have been
38:08seized, along with dozens of watches,
38:10jewelry, and even paintings and
38:12vacation villas. And in the meantime,
38:18the prosecution has demanded a total of
38:20455 years in prison for all those
38:22suspects. And the heaviest demand is 20
38:26years in prison. And that is for Geert
38:29F.
38:30And what does he say about that himself
38:32? Well, that is the distinct thing
38:35about Geert; he always makes his voice
38:38heard on these kinds of points. And he
38:42literally said the following: "I hope
38:44that you will not be led by the
38:46overblown media circus." So that is
38:49what he shared with the judge. And
38:51perhaps even more interesting. During
38:54this monster trial, we have of course
38:56seen a lot of him and talked a lot
38:58about him. And then we discovered that
39:03he is actually switching over or has
39:04already switched. That is still a bit
39:07up in the air. To the Hells Angels.
39:10And that is the big rival of the
39:12Bandidos. Correct. And uh for months it
39:16was rumored during that trial, well,
39:18you have to know, Geert had a Bandidos
39:21tattoo on his face, right. So yeah, the
39:25rumor mill started, like, what's going
39:27to happen with that tattoo? So every
39:29time we saw him walking, we wanted to
39:31see if anything had changed yet. And
39:34indeed, at one point we saw it was on
39:36the side of his face, covering the
39:38whole side. We saw that the tattoo was
39:41getting darker and the word Bandidos
39:43was fading. So um yeah, in the meantime
39:46he seems to have switched to the Angels
39:48. Uh, by the way, it's not the only
39:52tattoo he has on his face. Right at the
39:54beginning, that came up briefly. He
39:56also has a machine gun tattooed on his
39:58forehead. And uh, ECAB, ACAB. Many
40:02people translate that as "All Cops Are
40:04Bastards," you know. Maybe it means
40:07something else to him, but he’s an
40:08impressive figure to see.
40:10Okay, so Geert hears his sentence on
40:12July 30th. I'm thinking about it, but
40:15how is Harry Raamakers doing, actually?
40:17Harry is currently free. He was
40:19convicted back then in the Bandidos
40:21trial, of course. He filed an appeal
40:23against that. Uh, he was convicted in
40:26that appeal as well. And now there’s
40:28a cassation pending. So it’s with the
40:30Supreme Court. And uh, as long as there
40:33is no final conviction, he is a free
40:35man. He's in his 60s now and has been
40:38in the news a few times. And that
40:41wasn't really related to motorcycle
40:43club matters, but to his medical
40:45situation. Because you should know,
40:49Raamakers has actually been struggling
40:52with very poor health for years. And
40:56what's so unique is that he is the
40:57first in the Netherlands. for whom it
41:01was successful to fix a tearing aorta
41:03with bull skin. That was truly a unique
41:08operation and it was successful for him
41:09, which should have resolved some of
41:11his medical problems. And as far as we
41:15know, he is still affiliated with the
41:17Bandidos.
41:18Regarding the sentences he received,
41:19what did he get?
41:20Well, I already mentioned that he went
41:22to the appeals court in the Bandidos
41:24case, right. And that sentence was
41:26increased somewhat. He received a 20-
41:30month prison sentence in the appeal. He
41:33still hasn't served it, because he went
41:35from the court of appeal to the Supreme
41:37Court. So he filed for cassation. Yes.
41:39And that is why he is still free. There
41:42is no final conviction yet, and so we
41:44cannot definitively say what he got in
41:46the Bandidos case.
41:48Thank you. July 30 is in the calendar;
41:50then we will know what Geert F is
41:52facing. If you want to know and follow
41:54it, you can read about it in Bas's
41:56articles, or on the Underworld's social
41:58media. This was The Underworld. Back to
42:01the upper world. Hey

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of Hoe een mislukt megatransport van 11.500 kilo coke leidde naar biker Geert F. by De Limburger, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 6,302 words across 978 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.