Spring 2024, Aalsmeer. An anonymous tip through the police chatbot: seven foreign trucks allegedly transport large amounts of money and drugs between ornamental plant products. The police immediately pick up the tip and start observing.

Suspicious activity
The next day, two trucks load flowers at a loading dock and park. Moments later, the drivers exit their vehicles and return with boxes they are loading. A third truck is transferring industry-unique goods: a small motorcycle. After brief discussion among the drivers, two passenger cars join them. There is clear contact between drivers and occupants.

The action and consequences
Of the seven trucks announced, three arrive. After leaving from Aalsmeer, they are stopped en route: in one cab there is almost a million in cash, in the other four kilos of cocaine. All the drivers are stopped. The flowers, of course, never arrive at their destination and are unusable after a week. The drivers are arrested and convicted.

This is a typical example of a drug line not only transporting narcotics, but also laundering criminal proceeds through a flower shipment to southern Europe.

Recognize signals
Pay attention: who is coming to your dock? If you don’t know them, have a chat. Is anything being added to the load? Are there passenger cars driving around trucks?

If you notice something, it helps to remember or jot down some details: license plate, color of car, name on truck, description, time of day, location.

Reporting is different from reporting – it can be a signal of something that stands out or doesn’t feel right. This information is very useful in further investigation.

For immediate suspicious situations, call 911 or police at 0900-8844. For a call or tips, contact the ornamental plantation location’s neighborhood police officer.