Transport Facilitated Organized Crime (TFOC) checks were held at the Royal FloraHolland premises in Aalsmeer on March 10 and 11. The checks aim to counter criminal interference. The floriculture industry is attractive to criminals because of the many (inter-)national transport movements. The checks were conducted by the National Police together with Customs, the Dutch Labor Inspectorate, the Quality Control Agency, Royal FloraHolland and the Municipality of Aalsmeer and the Municipality of Uithoorn, among others. <\/p>\n
A total of 70 trucks were subjected to a 100% check and four transport companies were inspected. Several violations were found, including driving without the required license, driving on someone else’s driver’s card and professional driving without the proper papers. Twenty-two fines were issued for gross violations. One driver’s license was confiscated. During 4 company inspections, several deviations were found by the municipality, the Dutch Labor Inspectorate and the police. These will be investigated further. At one of the transport companies checked, 8 foreigners were found to be performing illegal labor. <\/p>\n
To combat abuse by organized crime in the ornamental plant cultivation sector, the police, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Tax Department, Customs, Royal FloraHolland and the municipalities of Westland, Katwijk, Uithoorn and Aalsmeer, among others, are working together to tackle undermining crime and abuse. Together, we want to thwart criminals and make businesses in the sector resilient. We do this by sharing knowledge, promoting supervision, control and enforcement, increasing willingness to report and erecting barriers. <\/p>\n