Organized crime in the Netherlands, sometimes called penose (Dutch: penoze) is the organised criminal underbelly in Amsterdam and other major cities.
Organized crime in the Netherlands goes back to the 18th century when organised groups of thieves, pimps and shady travelling salesmen created a cant language named Bargoens to communicate with each other.
Until this day the word penoze (which arose from Bargoens) is still used by some people to describe the Dutch underworld in which the organised crime bosses thrive.
[6] Additionally, Dutch criminals invest in property and legitimate businesses such as hotels and clubs, which provides opportunities for money laundering.
It was reported that around 7 masked and heavily armed people were shooting their weapons, loading gold and diamonds in the back of three vehicles and then fleeing the scene.
The gold and diamonds were reportedly stolen from a Brinks heavily guarded money transport, which was making a delivery at Schöne Edelmetaal (precious metals) and worth around €50 million.
[13] After the suspects fled the scene in a Porsche Cayenne, an Audi RS6 and a Renault Espace they ran into police, who responded with a helicopter and according to witnesses, around 40 vehicles.
Indigenous organized crime based in some of The Netherlands' major cities, mainly Amsterdam and The Hague, mostly has origins in the traditional working-class quarters.
Often these local criminals groups are strongly connected with, or in some cases even have an official membership to, outlaw motorcycle gangs such as the Hells Angels.
[16][17] Another type of indigenous organized crime is mainly based in the Flemish regions bordering the Netherlands, mainly located in the provinces of Limburg and Antwerp.
Dutch Ambonese gangsters are involved in kidnapping, armed robbery, extortion and drug trafficking, especially the growing and illegally distributing of marijuana.
[22] Incidents with the so-called Tattoo killers, a Moluccan/Ambonese gang specialised in contract killing, have also been major news in the Dutch criminal underworld in recent years.
[23] Criminal groups consisting of descendants of Afro-Surinamese and Afro-Curaçaoan immigrants exist in major cities in the Netherlands.