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Klaas Bruinsma (drug lord)
Encyclopedia
Klaas Bruinsma was a major Dutch
drug lord
, shot to death by mafia member and former police officer Martin Hoogland. He was known as "De Lange" ("the tall one") and also as "De Dominee" ("the minister") because of his black clothing and his habit of lecturing others.
as the second child to Anton Bruinsma and British
E. Kelly. After the divorce of his parents at the end of the fifties, and the subsequent move back to the United Kingdom
by his mother, Bruinsma was raised by his father's housekeeper. In 1964, they moved to Blaricum
. Bruinsma's father was founder and director of the Raak soda company; his four children had to clean bottles in the factory on Sundays.
While in high school, Bruinsma started using and selling hashish
. When he was sixteen years old, he was arrested for the first time; he was let go with a warning. Later on, he was kicked out of school, and in 1974 he decided to start working in drug trafficking full-time. Sales were conducted through Thea Moear, who eventually would become his business partner.
Bruinsma was arrested and convicted in 1976; after his release from jail, he changed his identity to Frans van Arkel, aka "Lange Frans" ("Tall Frans"). Together with Thea Moear and Etienne Urka he started a new organisation; kickboxer
André Brilleman became his bodyguard.
In late 1979, Bruinsma was convicted again for organising a major hashish transport from Pakistan
. After his release from jail, he started enlarging his organisation, and expanded his market to large parts of Europe
, including Germany
, Belgium
, France
and Scandinavia
. In 1983, he became mixed up in a gun fight over stolen supplies of cannabis
; he shot several people and was also wounded himself. In 1984, he was sentenced to three years in jail for this incident. During this period in jail, his father died of cancer
.
After his release in 1987, Bruinsma reorganised his drug organisation. Etienne Urka replaced Thea Moear as Bruinsma's main business partner, a new division for exploitation of gambling machine
s was formed under supervision of Sam Klepper and John Mieremet
, and Roy Adkins was appointed leader of the drug division. During this period, André Brilleman was accused of theft; he was brutally murdered and his body was encased in concrete and dumped in the river Waal.
At the end of the eighties, Bruinsma had become the greatest drug lord in Europe. His organisation made millions of guilders per day. At that point, he was planning of retiring, but not until after pulling one last big coup. He imported 45 tons of hashish, but after the supply arrived in the Netherlands, it was confiscated by the police. After that, things went downhill for Bruinsma; he started using cocaine
and planned on blackmailing other Dutch criminals. Etienne Urka became the new leader of his organisation.
Bruinsma and his gang often hung out at the Amsterdam
luxury brothel Yab Yum
. In 1990 Bruinsma and his associate Roy Adkins fought in the brothel after one of their operations had gone sour; shots were fired but nobody was injured and nobody talked to the police. Adkins was assassinated later that year.
A newspaper article in 2006 reported that true ownership of the brothel had long been in the hands of mafia figures, beginning with Klaas Bruinsma, who called it "the club house". After Bruinsma's death in 1991, his associates Sam Klepper and John Mieremet and the Dutch Hells Angels
took over control of the club.
On the night of June 27, 1991, Bruinsma became involved in a verbal argument with Martin Hoogland, an ex-police officer who was employed by the Yugoslavia
n mafia
at that time. Bruinsma was shot to death by Hoogland in front of the Amsterdam Hilton hotel at 4 a.m. that morning. Hoogland was himself murdered in 2004.
His associate Klepper was murdered in 2000; Mieremet survived an assassination attempt in 2002 and was murdered in 2005.
Martin Hoogland was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1993. While serving time in an open correctional facility, he was shot to death on March 18, 2004.
On October 2, 2003, a former bodyguard of Bruinsma, Charlie da Silva, declared in the television show of Peter R. de Vries
, that Mabel Wisse Smit had been a very close friend of Bruinsma's, and had been a regular guest on his yacht during the nights. Wisse Smit, who at that point was engaged to Prince Friso, had told prime-minister Jan Peter Balkenende
and Queen Beatrix that she had only been vaguely acquainted with Bruinsma. Because of this incident, the Dutch government decided not to request permission of parliament for the marriage, causing Prince Friso to lose his claim to the Dutch throne after his marriage to Wisse Smit.
-journalist Bart Middelburg. In 2004, Gerrard Verhage made a thriller, titled The Preacher
, loosely based on this book.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
drug lord
Drug lord
A drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
, shot to death by mafia member and former police officer Martin Hoogland. He was known as "De Lange" ("the tall one") and also as "De Dominee" ("the minister") because of his black clothing and his habit of lecturing others.
Life
Bruinsma was born in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
as the second child to Anton Bruinsma and British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
E. Kelly. After the divorce of his parents at the end of the fifties, and the subsequent move back to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by his mother, Bruinsma was raised by his father's housekeeper. In 1964, they moved to Blaricum
Blaricum
Blaricum is a municipality and village in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.It is known for its many monumental farm buildings, local cafes and restaurants, nature, several annual community events and extensive up-market residential areas...
. Bruinsma's father was founder and director of the Raak soda company; his four children had to clean bottles in the factory on Sundays.
While in high school, Bruinsma started using and selling hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
. When he was sixteen years old, he was arrested for the first time; he was let go with a warning. Later on, he was kicked out of school, and in 1974 he decided to start working in drug trafficking full-time. Sales were conducted through Thea Moear, who eventually would become his business partner.
Bruinsma was arrested and convicted in 1976; after his release from jail, he changed his identity to Frans van Arkel, aka "Lange Frans" ("Tall Frans"). Together with Thea Moear and Etienne Urka he started a new organisation; kickboxer
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
André Brilleman became his bodyguard.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. After his release from jail, he started enlarging his organisation, and expanded his market to large parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, including Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. In 1983, he became mixed up in a gun fight over stolen supplies of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
; he shot several people and was also wounded himself. In 1984, he was sentenced to three years in jail for this incident. During this period in jail, his father died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
After his release in 1987, Bruinsma reorganised his drug organisation. Etienne Urka replaced Thea Moear as Bruinsma's main business partner, a new division for exploitation of gambling machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s was formed under supervision of Sam Klepper and John Mieremet
John Mieremet
Johannes Mieremet was a Dutch underworld figure associated with the Willem Endstra extortion and assassination. Mieremet's former lawyer Evert Hingst was gunned down on Monday October 31, 2005...
, and Roy Adkins was appointed leader of the drug division. During this period, André Brilleman was accused of theft; he was brutally murdered and his body was encased in concrete and dumped in the river Waal.
At the end of the eighties, Bruinsma had become the greatest drug lord in Europe. His organisation made millions of guilders per day. At that point, he was planning of retiring, but not until after pulling one last big coup. He imported 45 tons of hashish, but after the supply arrived in the Netherlands, it was confiscated by the police. After that, things went downhill for Bruinsma; he started using cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and planned on blackmailing other Dutch criminals. Etienne Urka became the new leader of his organisation.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
luxury brothel Yab Yum
Yab Yum (brothel)
Yab Yum was one of the best-known and most exclusive brothels in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Located in a 17th century canal house on the Singel, it mostly catered to businessmen and foreign visitors...
. In 1990 Bruinsma and his associate Roy Adkins fought in the brothel after one of their operations had gone sour; shots were fired but nobody was injured and nobody talked to the police. Adkins was assassinated later that year.
A newspaper article in 2006 reported that true ownership of the brothel had long been in the hands of mafia figures, beginning with Klaas Bruinsma, who called it "the club house". After Bruinsma's death in 1991, his associates Sam Klepper and John Mieremet and the Dutch Hells Angels
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
took over control of the club.
On the night of June 27, 1991, Bruinsma became involved in a verbal argument with Martin Hoogland, an ex-police officer who was employed by the Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
n mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
at that time. Bruinsma was shot to death by Hoogland in front of the Amsterdam Hilton hotel at 4 a.m. that morning. Hoogland was himself murdered in 2004.
After his death
Bruinsma did not have a will; his brothers and sisters did not accept anything of his inheritance, so most of it went to his mother. The sail boat Amsterdammertje was confiscated by the Dutch revenue service.His associate Klepper was murdered in 2000; Mieremet survived an assassination attempt in 2002 and was murdered in 2005.
Martin Hoogland was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1993. While serving time in an open correctional facility, he was shot to death on March 18, 2004.
On October 2, 2003, a former bodyguard of Bruinsma, Charlie da Silva, declared in the television show of Peter R. de Vries
Peter R. de Vries
Peter Rudolf de Vries is a Dutch Investigative Journalist and crime reporter. His television program covers high profile cases and set a Dutch television viewing record. In 2005, he started his own political party which was disbanded soon after.-Early life and career:Peter Rudolf de Vries was born...
, that Mabel Wisse Smit had been a very close friend of Bruinsma's, and had been a regular guest on his yacht during the nights. Wisse Smit, who at that point was engaged to Prince Friso, had told prime-minister Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Peter Balkenende
Jan Pieter "Jan Peter" Balkenende is a Dutch politician of the party Christian Democratic Appeal .He was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 until 14 October 2010, having led four coalition governments, cabinets Balkenende I, II, III and IV, none of which served a full...
and Queen Beatrix that she had only been vaguely acquainted with Bruinsma. Because of this incident, the Dutch government decided not to request permission of parliament for the marriage, causing Prince Friso to lose his claim to the Dutch throne after his marriage to Wisse Smit.
Books, movies
In 1992, the Bruinsma biography De Dominee. Opkomst en ondergang van mafiabaas Klaas Bruinsma was published by ParoolHet Parool
Het Parool is an Amsterdam-based daily newspaper. It was founded as a resistance paper during World War II by Frans Van Heuven Goedhart and Jaap Nunes Vaz...
-journalist Bart Middelburg. In 2004, Gerrard Verhage made a thriller, titled The Preacher
The Preacher (film)
The Preacher is a 2004 Dutch thriller film about a drug lord named Klaas Donkers. The film is based on Bart Middelburg's biography of real-life drug lord Klaas Bruinsma....
, loosely based on this book.