Drug kingpin sentenced to life in prison for five murders in Holland’s biggest ever trial

RIDOUAN TAGHI, reportedly Europe’s most powerful drug lord, was jailed for life after being convicted of five murders at a heavily guarded court on the outskirts of Amsterdam nicknamed “The Bunker” yesterday.

The Dutch-moroccan crime boss did not attend the end of the Marengo Trial, the biggest criminal case in the Nether- lands’ history, or follow it from prison. The kingpin, 46, was said to be worth $1billion (£789million) and share control of a third of the cocaine smuggled into Europe’s ports. Last year, Dutch customs officials seized almost 60,000kg of cocaine.

He had denied six gangland slayings, four attempted murders and planning further attacks during a brutal two-year gang war that raged from 2015. He is also thought to have ordered the murders of a lawyer, a TV journalist and the brother of a crown witness who were connected to his trial.

Amid fears Taghi was running his empire from jail and that the Netherlands was turning into a “narco-state”, security was raised around Mark Rutte, the prime minister, to prevent a possible kidnapping. Judges and prosecutors in the trial asked not to be identified. Armed police wearing face coverings guarded the court as drones and a helicopter circled overhead.

“He decided who would be killed, and he respected no one,” the judge said, describing the “terror” Taghi had caused. “The amount of suffering he caused is hard to imagine. Taghi, if released, will have murders committed again.

“That is why we believe that society should be given maximum protection against him,” added the judge, whose face was not shown on television.

Prosecutors had earlier described Taghi and 16 co-defendants, none of whom made statements during the nearly six years of the trial, as a “welloiled killing machine”. The legal team had evidence Taghi had an army of hitmen ready to carry out his orders.

Taghi, who was acquitted of one of the murders because of lack of evidence, was the sole leader of the criminal organisation, the court said. “Taghi apparently regarded a number of people as traitors who had to die at all costs. The murders were well prepared by ‘spotters’,” the judge said, “The organisation had people at its disposal everywhere, including corrupt officials.” Nabil Bakkali, 36, was jailed for 10 years after the court said he was jointly responsible for killing gangster Ranko Scekic in June 2016.

That term was half the 20 years he could have expected after he turned crown witness because another gangland hit involving Taghi killed the wrong man, Hakim Changachi, 31, his childhood friend.