A Drug Lord Tries to Defend Himself
In the final episode of the series, we are taken to the Bunker, the windowless fortress on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where the trial of the Netherlands’ most dangerous criminal takes place.
The Gateway podcast tells the story of the meteoric rise, and fall, of one of the most notorious drug lords in Europe, Ridouan Taghi.
In the final episode of the series, we are taken to the Bunker, the windowless fortress on the outskirts of Amsterdam, where the trial of the Netherlands’ most dangerous criminal takes place.
Taghi is currently standing trial in the Netherlands for 11 murders and assassinations, international drug crimes and running a gang called the “Angels of Death. The Marengo proceedings, as they have come to be known — also include 16 other alleged members of the Dutch-Moroccan drug gang.
Since his extradition to the Netherlands from Dubai in 2019, Taghi has been in restricted custody, which forbids him from communicating with anyone other than his legal representation.
Yet, Taghi can’t seem to hold on to the only people he is allowed to talk to.
He was sentenced to life in prison last June, but his lawyer Inez Weski called for an acquittal in her closing argument.
Weski is a famous face across the country, with her staple heavy black eyeliner she defends some of the worst criminals. But she was arrested in April, after being accused of passing information out from the Vught maximum security prison where Taghi is being held.
A prior report, drawn from decrypted messages, illustrated how Taghi’s family had been harassing her to act as a conduit.
It gets convoluted fast. André Seebregts, a lawyer who is representing Taghi's cousin — who also previously acted as his counsel and was accused of acting as his messenger — had also claimed that Weski succumbed to pressure from Taghi to pass on information from prison.
Not long after Weski’s arrest, her lawyers announced she had dropped the defense of her client Taghi. She has been suspended by the Dutch bar council and spent six weeks in pre-trial detention before being released last month.
Now, Taghi wants to represent himself in the final stages of the trial. He wrote to the court saying that until he finds a new lawyer, he will conduct his own defence.
A verdict in the trial had been scheduled for October 20, 2023. Last week, prosecutors announced an indefinite delay.
Listen to Gateway for more on what it is like to be at the trial itself…
