The Netherlands – Mocro Mafia & Drug Trafficking

Organized crime in the Netherlands has surged alongside the booming cocaine trade, with criminal networks commonly associated with the Mocro Mafia at the center of growing concerns. Their influence has been demonstrated through increasingly violent tactics, including the murders of a key witness's brother, lawyer Derk Wiersum, and investigative journalist Peter R. de Vries. Fuelled by billions in drug profits, these networks have extended their reach through corruption, intimidation, and violence.

This documentary examines how cocaine smuggling through major European ports such as Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg has transformed the Netherlands into a key hub for the international drug trade. It also explores the Marengo trial, a major criminal case involving Ridouan Taghi and other defendants accused of involvement in murders and attempted murders.

Through interviews with investigators, journalists, and experts, the documentary reveals how organized crime, corruption, and the cocaine trade have become intertwined, testing the resilience of Dutch institutions and raising questions about how governments can respond to increasingly powerful criminal networks.

The Mocro Mafia & Marengo Trial

The Marengo trial concluded in February 2024, nearly two years after this documentary was released. Ridouan Taghi and two other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, with Taghi convicted of multiple murders and attempted murders connected to the criminal network he led. The nearly six-year trial became the largest criminal case in Dutch history and drew international attention to the violence and intimidation surrounding the Netherlands' lucrative cocaine trade.

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"8.5 million containers enter Europe's largest port every year. Controlling everything is impossible and drug dealers know that … The port is 42 kilometers long and many places can only be reached by police boat … The port is so huge they're sometimes on the move for hours."¹

"It started in 2012 with a stolen load of cocaine in the harbor of Antwerp, that’s where it started. Then it expired into a total way that up till now is causing people to be killed. It’s a war that is about power, it’s about control of the harbor, about cocaine, a lot of money, and it’s about who controls the underworld."

"40 tons of it [cocaine] was seized here last year alone but much more gets through. The total estimate for the ports of Rotterdam, Antwerp and Hamburg combined is 1,300 tons. Prime destinations for South American suppliers, most of the cocaine is distributed in the Netherlands where most of the gangs are based."