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Man arrested in Curacao in investigation into murder of Peter R. de Vries

A man was arrested today in Curacao on suspicion of having a "leadership role" in a criminal organization that was behind, among other things, the murder of crime reporter Peter R. de Vries.

It concerns 39-year-old Raily B., who has been imprisoned in Curaçao since 2014. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the 2014 shooting at Hato airport in Curaçao.

Two men were killed and seven bystanders were injured when they were riddled with bullets from automatic weapons at the exit of the arrivals hall. It was a settling of scores by a rival drug gang. B. drove the getaway car of the two shooters. They were all members of the notorious No Limit Soldiers gang.

In the De Vries case, B. was probably able to direct the perpetrators of the murder by telephone from his cell. In a press release, the Public Prosecution Service further writes that B., who has Dutch nationality and was born in Curaçao, will be transferred to the Netherlands.

Nine things
Peter R. de Vries was shot in the center of Amsterdam on July 6, 2021, shortly after visiting the RTL Boulevard TV studio . He died of his injuries nine days later.

Last June, the two perpetrators of the murder, shooter Delano G. and driver Kamil E., were sentenced to 28 years in prison. Organizer Krystian M. received 26 years and one month.

A fourth suspect was sentenced to 14 years for supplying the weapons. Two men who were on the lookout were both sentenced to 10 years. The two filmed De Vries as he lay seriously injured on the street. Three other suspects were acquitted.

An appeal has been lodged in all nine cases.

The Public Prosecution Service writes that after the convictions, the investigation into the clients of the murder of Peter R. de Vries has been continued. "In this investigation into the higher echelon, led by the National Public Prosecution Service, the man in Curaçao has come into the picture as a suspect," according to the Public Prosecution Service.

Willem Holleeder is said to have also approached members of this Curaçao gang NLS to have his sisters murdered of course De Vrieswas also very close to them and testified against The Nose.

'Taghi again without a lawyer'
Lawyers Carlo Crince le Roy and Sultan Kat have also resigned from the defense of Ridouan Taghi. The decision comes after the arrest of their colleague Vito Shukrula. They told Het Parool .

Impossible
"The effective exercise of Mr Taghi's fundamental rights has been made impossible," the two stated.

They believe that the State is making it impossible for Taghi, who has been sentenced to life imprisonment, to receive assistance on appeal.

Shukrula was arrested in the EBI on Thursday morning on suspicion of membership of Taghi's criminal organization.

AIVD
The lawyers told Het Parool: 'We knew that all means could be used to make it difficult for the defense. With the arrest of Mr. Shukrula and the news reports that the AIVD was involved practically from the start of our defense, this has been confirmed for us.'

The trio took over the defense in Taghi's appeal in December last year.

The two expect that there will be 'no end to the violations of Taghi's fundamental rights'. That is why they say they have no choice but to drop the defense.

Ex-wife of liquidated top criminal Stanley Hillis: 'He would kill my entire family'
Stanley Hillis' ex-wife Apolonia makes some shocking revelations in her book about her life with the notorious underworld boss.

Crime
Panorama Editorial
Apr 17, 2025 | 3:15 PM



Stanley Hillis, aka 'The Old Man', was one of the biggest Dutch criminals the Netherlands has ever known. Bank robberies, prison escapes, drug trafficking. Hillis did it all. Until he was liquidated in Amsterdam in 2011. Now, 14 years after the death of 'The Old Man', his ex-wife Apolonia is publishing a book: From Dark to Light - My Life with Stanley Hillis .

In it, she speaks candidly about her relationship with the top criminal, whom she met after he escaped from prison. They got married, but had a 'complex' relationship. She also experienced the underworld up close. Her life became intertwined with that of Hillis, his criminal friends and his illegal activities. At some point they broke up, but 'The Old Man' did not leave his ex alone.

Display of power
From Darkness to Light – My Life with Stanley Hillis :

"He was disappointed in so many people who had betrayed him, or who he thought had betrayed him. Many of his friends were in prison or dead. He was lonely, paranoid, did a lot of coke and drank heavily. With all his displays of power he tried to keep control over everything and everyone. He had made it clear to me in no uncertain terms that if I ever said anything about him, or testified against him, he would kill my entire family. And then he would continue with my friends. I would never feel safe again. And from that day on I didn't. He had complete control over me and for the first time in my life I was afraid of him."

The above anecdote is just one of the many impressive stories that the ex-wife of the top criminal tells. Want to read more? The book is now available in stores. Would you rather check out a pre-publication first? Then order Panorama 15 or visit Panorama.nl next weekend.

Who was Stanley Hillis?
Born in The Hague, 'Stan' grew up without a father and ended up in a youth TBR institution in Rekken at the age of 14. Three years later he was placed with a foster family in Amsterdam.

After serving in the Foreign Legion in France for a while, where he became a tough man, he returned to Amsterdam. There he started his criminal career. That began in the 70s, when he robbed banks as the leader of a large gang. With success, because when the gang was finally busted, the Amsterdam chief commissioner stated that the crime rate in the capital had dropped by no less than 60 percent.

Stanley Hillis, the 'biggest Dutch criminal of all time' | Panorama
From the edition of Tuesday, June 23, 2020: Ten years ago, Stanley Hillis was liquidated at the age of 64. He is called the greatest Dutch criminal of all time. Powerful and elusive. A portrait of the man and three questions surrounding his sensational liquidation. “Stanley always had an army ready.”

Escapes
But that was not the end of Hillis' criminal career. Especially the fact that he escaped twice from the prison in Scheveningen, once from the Arnhem Koepelgevangenis and several times from the Bijlmerbajes, made him a well-known name in the underworld.

After his last escape from the Bijlmerbajes, in January 1985, he contacted presenter Sonja Barend. What followed was a legendary interview at a secret location. Why did Stanley let himself be interviewed? According to him, he was dismissed as a trigger-happy criminal and was afraid that the police would shoot him. Not long after the interview, he was put in handcuffs. And at the end of the 80s, Hillis was released again.

Drug trafficking
After the notorious Klaas Bruinsma was shot dead in the 90s, Hilles took over the empire together with two other criminals. He then earned millions with the drug trade. Where other underworld figures were mainly active within the Netherlands, Hillis expanded his trade abroad. "Everyone played in the premier league, but that Ouwe was Champions League", according to an insider in the circle.

Ex-wife Stanley Hillis on her bizarre life with Amsterdam underworld: 'We were taken to a little swing room'
Bernice Breure

Modified: Apr 15, 2025Apr 14, 2025in Culture

6
She wouldn't steal a chocolate bar now, says Apolonia van der Vliet (66) firmly on a sunny terrace. The ex-wife of murdered top criminal Stanley Hillis describes her life with Amsterdam underworld in From Dark to Light. "It was a tough learning experience."

Apolonia van der Vliet has written a book about her time with murdered top criminal Stanley Hillis.

Gangster's sweetheart? No, that's never how Apolonia van der Vliet saw herself. "Those other women sat on the couch with their diamonds. I felt like one of the boys, but I had to work a lot harder to be seen as an equal. Not that I minded that."

The warm-hearted woman at a terrace table in the eastern Netherlands turns out to be full of stories about the Amsterdam underworld. In the book From Dark to Light she shares her life story, with her hand on the brake because of possible reprisals. In the spring sun, names like her ex Stanley Hillis, Kees Houtman and Willem Holleeder are mentioned and she sprinkles Amsterdam terms like blaffers, voosjes and voor schut gaan.

Honderd jaar lik
She learned the hard lesson that you don't get much for free in life early. "My father had already left with the neighbor when I was four." At the age of 18 she moved from Amstelveen to Amsterdam. Through a friend she ended up in bars like Jan Steen ('there was a hundred years of lick in there') and the Limbra ('at least those rascals there didn't wear a mask'). "In photos from that time I see a child. But I thought I already knew everything."

She works in a flower stall, which pays moderately. Soon she is selling 'stuff from the trunk' and gets a criminal boyfriend, the first in what will be a long series. In the early eighties a car pulls up next to her on the street. 'Hey Apolonia, how are you?' "I think: fuck, that's Stanley, he escaped from the Bijlmer prison."

She is on her way to her mother in the hospital and he insists on taking her. They have a surprisingly nice conversation. Hillis is arrested again after a few weeks, Van der Vliet visits him for years. "Stanley was always busy escaping. I once smuggled diamond saws in a packet of rolling tobacco." The two get engaged. "I was never in love with him. It was more of a joke. But I was his dream woman. On the next visit we were taken to one of those swinging rooms. I said: 'Go for a nice bike ride'. We hadn't even kissed yet."


Apolonia van der Vliet on a boat with Stanley Hillis in Ibiza in 1999.

When Hillis finally breaks out after two years, Van der Vliet is shocked. When he comes to her house, she tells him she is in love with someone else. That evening, she sees him in the much-discussed TV broadcast on Sonja Barend. He disappears from her life for a while.

Brand watch
Van der Vliet herself becomes increasingly criminally active. With a great love, who is structurally cheating on her, she smuggles hash and is part of the Houtman gang. "Playing with your life was normal. I was surrounded by people who did that too. And we didn't know what to spend our money on because of the craziness. Lunching at the Okura three times a week, then going to the jeweler for a brand watch."

Then she brings Hillis, who has taken over Klaas Bruinsma's business, back into her life and they get married. But the higher up the ladder, the grimmer it gets. "Always check that you are not being followed, never start a conversation spontaneously." Even during a morning dive from their mega yacht in Greece, bodyguards swim after her.

Van der Vliet wants to leave. "I've broken up with Stanley thirty times. But no one leaves the king." She even ends up on the hit list. "I woke up screaming and thought 'who's screaming like that'?" Eventually he lets her go. But if Hillis wants to see her, she has to show up immediately. Her divorce lawyer is told not to be 'too smart'. 'Then I'll have her shot.'

When the gang is busted, the police ask the women to testify. "Fred Teeven offered me a million. I was allowed to take seven people abroad to start a new life. But Stanley had warned me: 'if you ever talk, I'll kill you. And your family. And then your friends.' And I don't talk."


Apolonia van der Vliet with her first car

Calm from cleaning
When Stanley Hillis is liquidated in 2011, Van der Vliet works in home care. She calms down from cleaning. "And I had nice conversations with those old people. Although I often thought: if only you knew." A new start only really begins when she leaves Amsterdam and moves into a tiny house between the trees. "The first three years I only cried. Everything came out. I didn't want to live anymore. But the forest healed me. Now I think life is fantastic again, although I am done with guys."

God-forsaken
Following the publication of her book, she receives messages from people from her past. "'You're not writing about me, are you?', they ask. I have formulated some things differently. But this is about my life. I especially want to inspire readers who have lost themselves. Shoes costing 700 euros, jackets costing twice as much. Many people have lost their God-forsaken life."

At the end of her book, she also thanks Hillis. "We were both damaged people. The difference is that he eventually went too far and lost himself. It was a tough learning experience, but I am grateful that I have come home to myself. With much less money in my pocket, but much richer."

'He's sleeping, yes' | Justice sees evidence of provocation to murder Amsterdam criminal
Two men are on trial in Amsterdam for the shooting death of Younes Arsalane (33) in the hallway of an apartment building in Amsterdam-Osdorp in December last year. One of them provoked the murder, according to the public prosecutor. The evidence comes mainly from messages that the suspects are said to have sent to each other, as emerged in a preliminary hearing before the court in Amsterdam, according to Het Parool .

Himalaya
Arsalane's body was found on December 30 in the apartment building on the Clauskindereweg. He appeared to have been killed by multiple shots. Arsalane was considered to be part of the group of Amsterdam criminals around Gwenette Martha, who was shot dead in 2014. He was acquitted in the Himalaya liquidation trial .

The motive in the case has not yet been clarified.

The suspects who are now on trial are 29-year-old Mahdi J. and 20-year-old Nail el G. The latter is said to have arranged the shooter and to have orchestrated the case. A few days after the discovery of the body, the police raided Afif J., the third suspect, and Mahdi J.'s brother, in Rotterdam. During that raid, Afif J. was shot dead by the arrest team .

Snapchat
Phone conversations and chat messages, including from Snapchat, have been collected by the police. One of the phones had already been tapped as part of an investigation into the trade in heavy fireworks in The Hague. The evidence about El G. directing the murder must come from that communication.

The brothers made an appointment with the intended victim and even hung around with him for a few hours in a coffee shop and a park. In the park, the shooting did not happen because there were too many cyclists, is a conclusion of the Public Prosecution Service.

Shortly after the shooting, there is a conversation between the brothers and El G. who is somewhere else at that moment. The brothers speak panting as if they have been running. 'He is sleeping, yes', they say.

The two suspects will remain in custody until at least July 4.

https://www.crimesite.nl/hij-slaapt...itlokken-moord-op-amsterdamse-crimineel/

Court also acquits Rommy of Antwerp murders
The court of appeal in Amsterdam acquits Henk Rommy of involvement in a double murder in Antwerp in 1993. This was decided on appeal on Tuesday. Rommy was also acquitted earlier by the court. The Public Prosecution Service demanded a prison sentence of 22 years.



'The Black Cobra' was suspected of having ordered a liquidation in Antwerp on the night of 8 to 9 May 1993. Drug dealer Henie Shamel and his girlfriend Anne de Witte were killed in the assassination attempt. They were shot while sitting in a car.

The court finds that the file contains no direct evidence against Rommy. The court does not find the statements of a crown witness, who played an important role in the Passage trial, usable as evidence in this case.

Rommy did not want to be questioned by the court and the defense in this case. The file does contain other witness statements. The court finds these to be insufficient evidence. They are 'hearsay'.

Further investigation is no longer possible, the court announced: 'The facts date back 32 years. Some witnesses have since died and the memory of others has been affected.'

'The facts date back 32 years. Some witnesses have since died and others' memories have been affected.'

Scenario
The court further reasons: 'The file also contains telecom data, which shows that there was telephone contact between the man and the male victim and between the man and the perpetrators of the assassination. This could fit the scenario that the man was the one who ordered the liquidation, but it could also have nothing to do with it. The telecom data therefore does not constitute sufficient evidence. There are also indications that someone else was the one who ordered the assassination. This means that it cannot be legally and convincingly proven that the man ordered the assassination and the court therefore acquits him.'

Jesse R. and 'Moppie' R. were previously convicted of directing the double murder in Antwerp, as was the shooter Siegfried S. Another alleged shooter, Kenny R., has already died.

https://www.crimesite.nl/vrijspraak-moordaanslag-in-antwerpen-in-1993/

The man who most likely ordered the murder was Stanley “Kai” Esser. We all know Stanley Hillis by now, but this other Stanley may have been around in the Dutch underworld for just as long.
Kai Esser secretly spoke with the Van Traa committee in the nineties. The IRT affair was televised and was the talk of the town. Esser was one of the very first generations of large hash dealers in the Netherlands. Born in Willemstad on Curacao, Esser grew to be the predecessor of Klaas Bruinsma, with whom he also did business.
Kai Esser has faded into the background over time. He no longer really played a significant role in the current generation of Dutch criminals. In that respect, you could call Kai Esser a 'successful criminal'. He is said to have stashed his hard-earned money in Switzerland and happily emigrated via Belgium to the Caribbean and Mexico. In part, this was also said to have been for self-preservation, because according to a criminal source, he was still in debt to many people.
“Kai” Esser died in the Netherlands on December 1, 2020, at the age of 77.

Biggest scandal in Dutch history, but I'm convinced the same practices still take place in the global drug trade.

Netherlands: Major police scandal
01 May 1994

The Dutch police are currently in turmoil after a series of press disclosures and an official inquiry about the use of unconventional police methods in fighting organized crime. The affair started in January 1994, when newspapers published stories on how a inter-regional semi-permanent detective squad (the "Interregionaal Recherche Team", IRT) had been shut down in December 1993 as a result of serious mismanagement and controversies over its methods & tactics. These included the importation and distribution of some 25,000 kilos of soft drugs by a criminal police informer/infiltrator, and plans to have him import and distribute about 100 kilos of cocaine in an attempt to establish his credentials with a major criminal organization. An investigation commission (the Wierenga Commission) published an 750-page report in March in which many prominent police and Justice Department officials were quoted extensively criticizing their colleagues and revealed what seems like a structural lack of cooperation and control. During the parliamentary debate on 7 April, the Ministers of Justice and the Interior only managed to hold on to their positions because the governing coalition parties where unwilling to let a political crisis undermine their chances in the May 3 elections. In the weeks that followed, none of the senior officials shown to have failed in giving guidance to and overseeing the IRT have suffered any consequences from the affair - a situation which has contributed to cynicism both among the public and the police rank and file.

Parallel to the "IRT affair", leaks to the press and journalist investigations brought more sensitive and embarrassing information in the open. The police were shown to have resorted to clandestine burglaries to check whether a formal house search would produce any incriminating evidence. This practice was initially denied by senior Justice Department officials who later had to concede that such practices did take place, but were mostly limited to storehouses, sheds and garages; houses were seldom searched in this way they said.

Newspapers and published a taped telephone conversation in which two police criminal intelligence (CID) officers discussed how the CID department in Haarlem had advance knowledge of a fatal bomb attack on a drug dealer but had refrained from intervening. According to one source, the hit was ordered by the IRA because the drug trafficker had sensitive information about Republican arms transports, but other newspaper reports suggested that certain police officers were deeply involved in illegal practices, and cooperated with major drug traffickers to put the competition out of business. On May 13, a television program featured a list, which is circulating among criminals and lawyers, with the names and addresses of several hundred police informers operating in the south of the Netherlands. Apparently the list originated from a highly secret police source. The Justice Department would only comment that the list was three to five years old and had no official status, and that some of the names on it referred to non-existing persons.

The IRT scandal and these subsequent exposures have left the public image and integrity of the Dutch police severely damaged - even if some of the information is incorrect or exaggerated.

Parliament has decided to initiate an investigation into police tactics and techniques to decide what should be legally allowed. The public prosecutors" offices in the meantime have decided to set up a central commission to check individual cases and give permission to use certain sensitive methods in an attempt to establish national standards in this field. The Justice Department has cleverly exploited the situation by introducing a permanent national police team which will "support" regional teams in organized crime investigations and provide an additional safeguard against illegal police activities.

Riddles surrounding 'arrest' of alleged supercartel leader in Dubai: Breda resident Edin G. presumably free again
author avatar
John van den Heuvel

Modified: Yesterday, 18:17Yesterday, 17:42in Domestic

DUBAI - The alleged Breda bridge baron Edin G, alias 'Tito' who was arrested in Dubai at the request of the Dutch Public Prosecution Service for extradition, is said to be free again.

Edin G. is considered a notorious member of the 'supercartel' and must still serve a seven-year sentence in the Netherlands.
© ANP/HH, Social media

Edin G. is considered a notorious member of the 'supercartel' and must still serve a seven-year sentence in the Netherlands.

The Bosnian Edin G., who grew up in Breda, is considered a notorious member of the 'supercartel' and must still serve a seven-year sentence in the Netherlands. According to media in Bosnia, G. will not be extradited at all, but was even released last Tuesday. Dubai is said to have decided on his release 'for formal reasons'.


See also:

Mysteries surrounding arrest of wanted Edin G. in Dubai: 'Alleged leader of super cartel is in villa and will be released soon'
The National Public Prosecution Service says it knows nothing about it. "We have only known that he was arrested at our request. An extradition request has been made to Dubai," said a spokesperson after G's arrest. The Public Prosecution Service announced on Monday evening that it was not aware of the release. G.'s lawyer Leon van Kleef refuses to comment.

Noise between Dubai and the Netherlands about Edin G.
The uncertainty surrounding the alleged arrest and release of Edin G. is yet another 'case of serious noise' in the communication between Dubai and the Netherlands. G. is considered one of the leaders of the so-called Super Cartel, which according to the judiciary also includes the Taghi family, Rico R, alias the Chilean, and mafia leader Raffaele Imperiale.

See also:

Top criminals are regularly tracked down, which crooks is the Netherlands still looking for?
After G. was arrested during a major police operation in Dubai in 2022, the Bosnian from Breda was also released quickly. This led to parliamentary questions from Member of Parliament Ulysse Ellian of the VVD.

Negotiations then took place between the Dutch Public Prosecution Service and G.'s lawyers, who ultimately reached a deal with each other. G. was sentenced to seven years but simply stayed in Dubai, where he leads a life of luxury. G.'s lawyer Leon van Kleef says he does not want to comment "because this is not in the interest of his client".

AIVD: 'Criminal organisations also have their own secret services'
Criminal organizations have professional secret services that investigate who can harm their interests. This can involve competitors in crime, but also civil servants, politicians, journalists and lawyers. This is reported by the AIVD in its annual report for 2024. 'Drug criminals need information about who is threatening their trade.'

The AIVD states in its annual report that criminal networks that pose a threat to the national security of the Netherlands have 'far-reaching, professional capabilities' to gather information about people they see as a threat. According to the service, these can be criminal rivals, but increasingly also civil servants, politicians, journalists and lawyers.

Targets
According to the secret service, the skills of specialized criminal intelligence teams are comparable in some respects to those of investigation and security services. As are their technical capabilities: 'Using their own tracking teams and tracking equipment, they map out the home addresses, work addresses, places of residence and social networks of their targets. Sometimes they obtain information from government and corporate databases with personal data. To do so, they bribe employees or put them under pressure.'

In their work, criminals are always alert to investigative services. 'They try to discover, evade and shake them off in a professional manner. For example, they scan their surroundings using technical means. That makes it more difficult to recognize their activities - activities that sometimes affect national security.'

Interests
The fact that criminals have been able to specialize in gathering intelligence and preparing for (murder) attacks is due to the large scale of drug trafficking via the Netherlands. According to the AIVD, this ensures that Dutch criminal networks have larger interests to defend and that they have a structural need for information about potential threats to their trade.

https://www.crimesite.nl/aivd-criminele-organisaties-hebben-zelf-ook-geheime-diensten/