Netherlands' "Mocro-Mafia" leads drug war in NRW
A series of attacks, a dead teenager, hostages tortured: North Rhine-Westphalia experiences a "new dimension of organized crime". Behind it apparently lies the "Mocro-Mafia", which has been leaving a blood trail in the Netherlands for years.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, it's explosive. Within three weeks, seven explosive devices have detonated in this federal state. The latest explosion occurred last midweek in front of a house entrance in Düsseldorf, causing alarm for the neighbors. Glass shattered, a darkly dressed person was reportedly seen in a black car driving away from the scene. The explosive device is believed to be a homemade Mark E brand, and the perpetrators allegedly hired to carry it out, recorded evidence for it, and received a few hundred Euros in return, often without knowing who the attack actually targeted.
This method is common practice for the "Mocro-Mafia". The term is a collective term for various organizations that have been operating in the Netherlands for years without regard for losses. Hundreds of such attacks occur annually in the neighboring country, along with automated explosions, kidnappings, and murders.
The core business of the "Mocro-Mafia" is the drug trade, particularly with cannabis and cocaine. Surprisingly, this industry, which one might assume would attract too much attention, openly and shamelessly settles its conflicts in the Netherlands, as well as in Belgium. This is evident in the murder of Peter de Vries, one of the most famous criminal reporters in the Netherlands with his own television show. In July 2021, de Vries was walking through the inner city of Amsterdam when he was shot several times. The court later described the crime as an execution.
"Well-oiled Death Machine"
This assassination was allegedly orchestrated by Ridouan Taghi, head of one of the most notorious cocaine cartels in the country, who was in the process of being tried at the time. De Vries was acting as a consultant for the crown witness, whose brother and lawyer had both been shot two years earlier. The native Moroccan Taghi, who was managing the business from the United Arab Emirates and later possibly from prison, was sentenced to life imprisonment in February. This was the largest trial against the Dutch drug mafia, as the prosecution referred to it as a "well-oiled death machine". The verdict is not yet legally binding.
"This is a network of hardened criminals who have actually undermined the democracy in the Netherlands, as well as in Belgium," says Oliver Huth from the German Criminal Investigators Association NRW to ntv. "Mocro" is a Dutch slang term for Moroccans and stands synonymously for many different gangs that sometimes collaborate and sometimes fight each other. According to Dutch criminology professor Cyrille Fijnaut, these groups are not exclusively Moroccan, but "just as multicultural as the Dutch national soccer team," he tells dpa.
The connecting factor is the numerous conflicts between the groups. Approximately 10 to 20 people are liquidated every year, according to Fijnaut. Through Dutch media, all imaginable horror stories have already circulated. Explosives under cars, a severed head in front of a Shisha bar, a dentist chair converted into a torture instrument. In 2022, the "Mocro-Mafia" was planning to kidnap the then 18-year-old Crown Princess Amalia.
In the Netherlands, the brutal everyday life poses new challenges for German security authorities. The Cologne Police report "a new dimension of violence in the realm of organized crime," according to Criminal Director Michael Esser. This has not occurred in Germany before. The Cologne Prosecutor's Office is cautious about a "feud between two criminal groups." Millions worth of drugs have been stolen. According to several media reports, the "Mocro-Mafia" aims to intimidate an Arab clan from North Rhine-Westphalia because 300 kilograms of Cannabis disappeared from a hideout in Cologne.
Their initial peak was reached on July 5. Unlike the explosions in Cologne, Engelskirchen, and Duisburg, where, according to police assessment, no one was injured by chance, the violence escalated. In the cellar of a villa in Cologne-Rodenkirchen, a woman and a man were apparently held captive and tortured. Videos, which "Spiegel" reports, allegedly show a woman tied to a chair, a naked, gagged man lying on the floor with a bloody head wound. A torturer is seen asking about a storage place, presumably a drug hideout, and then strikes with a long object.
The two hostages had been abducted earlier in Bochum. The SEK intervened, freed them, and arrested six suspects. This was "one of the most complex operations in a long time," according to the police. Meanwhile, the cause of the death of a 17-year-old Dutchman in Solingen two weeks ago remains unclear. He had dropped a bottle with a liquid on the sidewalk. The bottle exploded, and the teenager died, while four others were injured. The investigators are examining a connection to the "Mocro-Mafia," possibly due to a botched attack.
Controversial is whether the activities of the "Mocro-Mafia" in Germany are related to the recent Cannabis legalization. "The illegal market is flourishing, now satisfying the legal demand. There is no legal offering," says Oliver Huth from the German Criminal Police to the dpa. "We have always said: Go to Holland, take a look, with whom you are dealing. And if you think you can beat them with legalization, we wish you good luck." Health Minister Karl Lauterbach denies any connection. "People will be able to cover their needs legally through cultivation associations, they don't have to buy from a 'Mocro-Clan'," the Minister says.
According to Strafrechtsprofessor Fijnaut, the situation in the Netherlands has deteriorated due to the fact that the Dutch police do not coordinate their actions nationally. "You need a taskforce that is led regionally - and that exists in the Netherlands to this day." The German security authorities are advised by him to organize the pursuit of the "Mocro-Mafia," for example, through the Federal Criminal Police Office - and not to wait too long. "One should definitely not follow the Dutch example - that is not a role model."
- The "Mocro-Mafia" has been causing havoc in the Netherlands, known for its liberal drug policies, with organized attacks and violent crimes associated with the drug trade, particularly cannabis and cocaine.
- The recent escalation of violence in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, is believed to be linked to the activities of the "Mocro-Mafia," as German authorities report a "new dimension of violence in the realm of organized crime."
- The international scope of the "Mocro-Mafia" extends beyond the Netherlands and Belgium, with conflicts between the various organizations causing numerous murders and terrorizing local communities.
- German and Dutch authorities have expressed concerns about the impact of cannabis legalization on the illegal drug market and the activities of organized crime groups like the "Mocro-Mafia," with some experts suggesting a need for better coordination among law enforcement agencies to tackle this issue effectively.
