Verdict: Life imprisonment (Feb 2024)
Marengo
The trial that exposed the heart of Dutch organized crime
7 suspects8 events4 locations2017 - present
// intel brief
The Marengo trial is the largest criminal case in Dutch history. It centers on Ridouan Taghi and 16 co-defendants accused of ordering and carrying out multiple assassinations, drug trafficking, and leading a criminal organization. The trial began in 2020 and concluded with life sentences in February 2024. Crown witness Nabil B. provided crucial testimony, but at a terrible cost - his brother Reduan and his lawyer Derk Wiersum were both murdered in retaliation.
// timeline
2015-12First assassinations linked to Taghi network
2017-02Nabil B. becomes crown witness
2018-03Reduan B. (brother of crown witness) murdered in Amsterdam
2019-09Lawyer Derk Wiersum assassinated - shockwave through Netherlands
2019-12Ridouan Taghi arrested in Dubai
2021-02Said Razzouki arrested in Colombia
2021-03Marengo trial begins at the Bunker in Amsterdam
2024-02Verdict: Taghi sentenced to life imprisonment
// key locations
Amsterdam (assassinations)
Multiple murders
Dubai (Taghi arrest)
Hideout & arrest
Bogota (Razzouki arrest)
Hideout & arrest
The Bunker, Amsterdam
Maximum security court
// operation map
// key figures
Ridouan TaghiConvicted
Main Suspect / Mastermind | NL/MA
Mastermind behind the assassination network. Sentenced to life in prison. Arrested in Dubai in December 2019 after years on the run. Considered the most powerful drug lord in Dutch history.
Said RazzoukiConvicted
Right-hand Man / Coordinator | NL/MA
Right-hand man of Taghi. Coordinated assassinations and drug shipments. Arrested in Colombia in February 2021. Extradited to the Netherlands.
Nabil B.status_witness
Crown Witness | NL/MA
Crown witness whose testimony broke open the case. His brother Reduan was murdered in March 2018. His lawyer Derk Wiersum was assassinated in September 2019.
Derk WiersumDeceased
Crown Witness Lawyer (murdered) | NL
Lawyer of crown witness Nabil B. Shot dead in front of his home in Amsterdam on September 18, 2019. His murder shocked the Netherlands and was seen as a direct attack on the rule of law.
Reduan B.Deceased
Crown Witness Brother (murdered) | NL/MA
Brother of crown witness Nabil B. Murdered on March 29, 2018, in Amsterdam as retaliation for his brother's cooperation with justice.
Delano G.Convicted
Contract Killer | NL
Hitman convicted for carrying out multiple assassinations on orders from the Taghi organization.
Moreno B.Convicted
Messenger / Intermediary | NL
Messenger and intermediary between Taghi and the hitmen. Passed instructions via encrypted phones.
// other files
The Cocaine Route
How billions in cocaine flows from South America to European streets
EncroChat
How police cracked the criminal underworld's secret phone network
Mocro Maffia
The rise of Dutch-Moroccan organized crime networks in Europe
Port Wars
The battle for Europe's cocaine gateways - Rotterdam vs Antwerp
Rif Connection
Morocco's Rif Mountains - the world's largest hashish production zone
Isaac "Boom" B.
From Katendrecht to cocaine kingpin - the rise and fall of Black Mamba
Taghi Dynasty
How Ridouan Taghi ran a criminal empire from the most secure prison in the Netherlands
Sky ECC
The crack of the century - how Belgian police broke the criminal underworld's encrypted phone network
Taghi's Hitman
The rise and fall of Gerel P. - Ridouan Taghi's most trusted assassin, from Utrecht to a Brazilian prison cell
Audi Gang
Dutch ATM bombers terrorizing Germany - high-speed Audis, explosives, and a trail of destruction across the border
The Invisible Baron
The shadowy rise and violent world of Peter van D, Limburg's unseen drug lord.
The Cocaine War
How the theft of 1,400 kg of cocaine from Antwerp ignited a six-week war across the Netherlands
The Helicopter Escape
Benaouf Adaoui - the man who ignited the Mocro War and planned one of the Netherlands' most spectacular prison escapes
Antwerp Drug War
How Europe's second port became a warzone between rival cocaine clans
Kompania Bello
The Albanian cocaine federation run from behind prison bars in Ecuador
keywords
marengo / taghi / ridouan / liquidatie / nabil b / wiersum