Penose

Penose is a colloquial term that is used to describe the organized criminal underbelly in Amsterdam and other major cities in the Netherlands.

Origin of the word

Organized crime in the Netherlands goes back to the 18th century when organized groups of thieves, pimps and shady travelling salesmen created a cant language named Bargoens to communicate with each other.^[1] Out of the language there arose a couple of new words which would become part of the Dutch folklore. Until this day the word Penose (which arose from Bargoens) is still used by some people to describe the Dutch underworld in which the organized crime bosses thrive.^[2] The word is mostly used in Amsterdam, but has also spread to other big cities in the Netherlands such as The Hague, Rotterdam or Eindhoven.

Organized crime in the Netherlands

Organized crime in the Netherlands began as far back as the 18th century when a mythical group named De Bokkenrijders terrorised the southern part of the Netherlands and the eastern part of Belgium.^[3] Nowadays the Netherlands is known as the biggest exporter of ecstasy in the world,^[4] while Dutch gangs are also a major exporter of cocaine, cannabis and a smaller exporter of heroin. In the drugs business they closely cooperate with British Firms and Colombian cartels for the importation and exportation of ecstasy and cocaine,^[5] while they cooperate with Moroccan drug barons in the Riffian areas and with Pashtun drug lords based in Pakistan for the importation of hashish.

Each major city in the Netherlands is known for having its own organized crime bosses. While the term Penose was and still is used to describe the ethnic Dutch crime lords, it has now been used in a broader context. The Netherlands is also home to communities of people from former colonies. Surinamese, Moroccan, Dutch Antillean and Ambonese gangsters and crime bosses are now actively part of the Dutch Penose'.

Criminal groups concerning the Penose

The penose concerns organized criminal groups with ties to the country of the Netherlands itself. Due to immigration there are strong Turkish, Chinese, Yugoslav, Russian, Albanian and Italian communities in the Netherlands. Criminal outfits such as the Turkish mafia, Triads, Serbian mafia, Russian Mafia, Albanian Mafia, and the 'Ndrangheta are not regarded as a part of the traditional Penose, although they're an active part of the Dutch criminal underworld nonetheless. The reason why Surinamese, Antillean, Moroccan and Ambonese groups are considered to be a part of the Penose is because their criminal groups were formed and based in the Netherlands, whereas the Turkish or Serb gangs are part of a criminal group based in their home country.

Dutch crime groups

The indigenous Dutch criminal gangs have a strong base in the country. Ethnic Dutch crime groups mostly find their origin in the more impoverished white working-class neighborhoods and in the so-called woonwagenkampen, Dutch trailer parks.

Indigenous organized crime based in some of The Netherlands' major cities, mainly Amsterdam and The Hague, mostly has origins in the traditional working-class quarters. These small groups mainly consist of local career criminals that band together for their involvement in organized criminal activities such as extortion, loan sharking, prostitution and narcotics. Often these local criminals groups are strongly connected with, or in some cases even have an official membership to, outlaw motorcycle gangs such as the Hells Angels MC.^[6][7]

A second form of indigenous organized crime comes with the so-called Woonwagenbewoner gangs that, contrary to the criminal gangs connected with the inner-city working-class quarters, operate more as a family-based crime groups.^[8] Groups consisting of Woonwagenbewoners are especially active in drug trafficking: the growing and illegally distributing of marihuana, trafficking of cocaine and heroin and the producing and distributing of ecstasy. ^[9][10]

The third type of indigenous organized crime is mainly based in the Flemish regions bordering the Netherlands, mainly located in the provinces of Limburg and Antwerp. The region is known to be one of the most important production areas for synthetic drugs such as ecstasy. It is home to organized criminal gangs active in the production, transport and distribution of synthetic narcotics and marihuana, as well as in the the importation of hashish and cocaine, controlled by both local Flemish and Dutch criminal entrepreneurs.^{[11] [12] [13]}

Moroccan crime groups

Out of the Netherlands' substantial Moroccan Riffian community also grew criminal gangs mostly involved in the trafficking of marihuana. This is due to the ties of some Riffian families to their area of origin, the Rif, which is a known hub of marihuana/hashish cultivating. Certain Riffian criminals have also progressed to the trafficking of cocaine. Armed robbery and prostitution are known activities of the Dutch Moroccan groups as well.^[14]

Moluccan Kajahatan

The word kejahatan is Malay for 'committing crime' and has since become a synonym for Moluccan organized crime. Due to the Netherlands' large Moluccan Ambonese community kejahatan groups also exist in the Netherlands. Dutch Ambonese gangsters are involved in kidnapping, armed robbery, extortion and drug trafficking, especially the growing and illegally distributing of marihuana. An alleged criminal gang of Ambonese origin is Satudarah, a known one-percenter motorcycle club. Ambonese gangsters have traditionally also assisted other criminal enterprises.^[15] Incidents with the so-called Tattoo killers, a Moluccan/Ambonese gang specialised in contract killing, have also been major news in the Dutch criminal underworld in recent years.^[16]

Afro-Dutch crime groups

Criminal groups consisting of descendants of Afro-Surinamese and Afro-Curaçaoan immigrants exist in major cities in the Netherlands. While some of said groups are involved in petty crimes, other Afro-Dutch crime groups have been responsible for the more sophisticated trafficking of cocaine.^[17] Since both Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles are known transit zones for the drug trafficking from Colombia, Curaçaoan and Surinamese crime groups based in the Netherlands have also formed alliances with said Colombian groups and have committed contract killings for them.^[18] Prostitution, hijacking and ripdeals are known activities of Afro-Surinamese and Afro-Curaçaoan groups.

Gang wars over turf have appeared from time to time. The Amsterdam district Bijlmermeer for instance has been the scene of violence between two of its biggest gangs, the Green Gang and the Kloekhorststraat Gang.^[19] Aside from these Netherlands-originated groups, gangs that originated in the Caribbean have also been able to set up shop in the Netherlands. The No Limit Soldiers gang, which originated in Curaçao, for instance now has bases in cities such as Rotterdam, where they're involved in gang violence and organized crime.^[20]

Crips in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is the only country in Europe where the Crips have a significant presence. In the major cities of The Hague, Rotterdam and Amsterdam Crip-gangs were formed in the 80's. There are a lot of Crip-gangs in the Netherlands but only 12 of them are regarded as a serious criminal organization. The 12 criminal gangs are mostly composed of older adolescent males (in contrast to the majority of the street gangs which are composed of youths) who are involved in organized crime such as drug trafficking, arms trafficking, prostitution, contract killing and extortion. The groups are mainly composed of Dutch Antilleans (mainly Afro-Curaçaoans) and Afro-Surinamese people.^[21]

Other Criminal Organizations in the Netherlands

These groups listed below are not part of the Penose, but are a very active part of the Dutch organized criminal underbelly.

• The 'Ndrangheta is the largest Italian mafia group in the world, and is very much active in the Netherlands. After the Duisburg massacre on 15 August 2007, one of the perpetrators, Giovanni Strangio, escaped to the Netherlands until he was found in Amsterdam in 2009. The two most active clans in the Netherlands, the Strangio Clan and the Nirta Clan, are both from the town of San Luca.
• The Serbian mafia is one of the largest organized crime groups in Amsterdam. It is probably even larger than the Russian mafia in the Netherlands. The boss of the Serbian mafia in the Netherlands was Sreten Jocić, who is now in jail in Belgrade for the murder on Goran Marjanović in 1995. He was outside the Netherlands known as Joca Amsterdam.
• The Albanian mafia is active in the Netherlands, but less than in other countries in Western Europe. On 21 April 2013, a 37 year old Albanian criminal was shot to death in Amsterdam. The Albanians are mostly trafficking people and trafficking drugs in the Netherlands.
• There are three known Triads active in the Chinatowns of Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam. Those are the Sun Yee On, 14K and the Tai Huen Chai. Between the 1970s and 1990s, the largest heroin importer of Europe was the Ah Kong, a triad which was based in Amsterdam, and Bangkok. The last Ah Kong boss died in 2010. Also, the Snakeheads, a Chinese gang involved in people smuggling, had smuggling operations in the port of Rotterdam, and the boss of the Snakeheads' boyfriend, was the boss of the 14K in the Netherlands.
• The Russian mafia, which exists out of many groups (most importantly the Solntsevskaya Bratva), is one of the most important human trafficking and arms trafficking groups in the Netherlands and also smuggles heroin from Afghanistan. Most of the Russian mafia in the Netherlands is not actually Russian, but more from other groups like Ukrainians, Georgians, Chechens, and Jews. Some of the Russian mafia groups in the Netherlands are based in Antwerp, Belgium which is known to be a large Russian mafia hub.
• The Israeli mafia is also active in the Netherlands as an important ecstasy exporter. The Abergil crime family from Tel Aviv used labs in the Netherlands and Belgium, and trafficked the ecstasy to Los Angeles. In 2012 this drug ring ended with the arrest of Itzhak Abergil, but the Israeli ecstasy organizations are still active in the Netherlands.
• The Turkish mafia is the largest heroin importer of the Netherlands. They mostly smuggle the drugs from the opium fields in Afghanistan through Turkey to the Netherlands. Most of the groups are Kurdish and are affiliated with political groups like PKK.
• Cape Verdean organized crime is a big problem in Rotterdam, where they mostly import narcotics, and extort other drug traffickers, such as a cafe owner in Rotterdam, who got in debt with a few other Cape Verdean drug traffickers, which resulted in a hostage situation where two innocent people died.
• There are many Outlaw motorcycle clubs in the Netherlands. The two most important are the mostly Ambonese Satudarah MC from Moordrecht, and the Dutch chapter of the Hells Angels. They are also the main enemies in world of the Dutch MC's. Smaller well known outlaw motorcycle clubs as the Dutch No Surrender MC and the Bandidos MC also control parts of the illegal drug trade.

Members of the Dutch Penose

• Klaas Bruinsma was the largest drug lord Europe has ever seen. He mostly trafficked hashish from Pakistan. His nickname was De Dominee (the Reverend) because he always dressed in black and because of his habit of lecturing others.
• Willem Holleeder was one of the perpetrators of the Heineken kidnapping in 1983. Later in the early 2000s he was extorting real estate trader Willem Endstra. Endstra was later killed, probably by Holleeder.
• Cor van Hout was the masterdmind behind the Kidnapping of Freddy Heineken. After serving jail he went back into the underworld together with his brother-in-law Willem Holleeder. There were assassination attempts made on him in 1996, 2000 and a successful one in 2003.
• John Mieremet was together with Sam Klepper a very successful duo in the criminal underworld. They were mostly in the hashish trade and robbed together. In 2005 he was shot by a man wearing a helmet in Pattaya, Thailand

References