Catalathos… release of drug trafficker who planned the assassination of the heir of the Netherlands

A case of “judicial confusion” made not only Spain, but also the Netherlands up and down and it also sounded the alarm to the European authorities, as reported by Politico.

The Madrid government accidentally freed a drug lord who planned to assassinate the heir to the Dutch throne and the prime minister of the country, Mark Rutte. This is the leader of the cartel “Mocro Mafia” Karim Buyakritsan who was arrested in Marbella last January, during a major money laundering operation.

As soon as the Dutch authorities learned of his arrest, they filed an extradition request with the National Court of Spain, asking Madrid to extradite the gang leader so that, upon returning to the Netherlands, he would face drug-trafficking charges. The Dutch authorities, as Politico points out, appealed, filing a new, urgent request, stressing that cartel boss was one of the most dangerous on Interpol’s wanted list.

He was wanted for his role in a ten-year drug war in Europe that killed dozens of people in Belgiumthe Netherlandsthe Spain and Morocco.

The National Court of Madrid ordered the extradition of the notorious drug trafficker to his home country. However, the District Court in Malaga, which has jurisdiction over the area where Buyakritsan was arrested, refused to carry out the request, arguing that the drug kingpin had to face money laundering charges in Spain before being extradited to another country.

The Spanish Radio Network “Cadena SER” revealed today that although Spain’s National Court accepted the Dutch appeal, it neglected to issue a detention order that would have ensured Buyahritsan would remain behind bars until extradition took place.

When the money-laundering case came up for a first hearing in Malaga’s provincial court last month, the presiding judge agreed to release the gang leader on bail of €50,000. For the wealthy Buyakrisan, who has bank accounts and real estate around the world, it wasn’t hard at all to find the bail money and consequently, as soon as he was released, he disappeared from the city. Authorities have not located him since.

It is noted that, in 2022, Dutch Princess Amalia was forced to leave her student residence complex and return to the royal palace after police obtained credible evidence that Bujakrisan was planning to either kidnap or assassinate the heir to the throne.