It begins on April 28, 2024, with a barn fire on the Noordeindseweg in Berkel en Rodenrijs. Among the debris, the investigators find a drug lab. The next day it turns out to be even more serious: in a car in the barn lies a dead man. He died from the fire, but was it an accident, or arson? At the first hearing, the suspects don't want to say anything about it.
Sitting in the courtroom in Rotterdam are the relatives of the 20-year-old victim. Lawyer L'Homme articulates their feelings. "They are still in a heavy mourning process. We see no openness from the suspects, which is indigestible for them. They are left with this question: what exactly happened?"
The judge also appealed to the two men in the dock. "Did you see it yourself?" The 29-year-old defendant M.F. says, "I feel very sad for the family, but I have nothing to add." The 22-year-old Z.K. uses the same words. So no clarity on their part.
Flames erupted from the roof of the barn in Berkel en Rodenrijs.© Spa-Media
'Clumsy way'
According to the prosecution, it went as follows. In the barn on Noordeindseweg was a drug lab, where the two suspects and the later victim were working on April 28. They call a fourth person saying "Oh dear, there's a fire. This fourth man is also being held as a suspect.
The prosecution does not believe the fire was intentionally set, but it did occur "because these two people were acting in a clumsy manner." Cocaine and amphetamine were being prepared in the shed. Because the suspects made stupid mistakes, they are responsible for the fire and thus for the victim's death, the prosecution says.
Overdue maintenance
The men's two lawyers see it very differently. "The forensic report shows that there is no clear cause of the fire," they say. There are three options: an accident, a crime, or suicide. The latter option is causing slight stir among the bereaved families.
Attorney Altindag further fleshes out the variant "accident. The barn was adjacent to a residential house, which was also affected by the fire. In the residence was the brother of the owner of all the properties. Both brothers allegedly had a conflict over overdue maintenance.
Altindag: "There would have been a fire before, there was a report to the municipality. Maybe leakage was the cause of the fatal fire." The prosecutor says he has great difficulty with this scenario involving completely different people.
A white tent was placed near the barn where the body was found.© MediaTV
Unrest over drug labs
The lawyers are asking that their clients be released for the time being. According to them, there is no evidence that they are guilty of the fire, let alone the fatal consequences. The prosecution sees it differently. "Their involvement is indisputable," it said.
The prosecutor is referring to that other fatal case earlier this year, at the Schammenkamp in Rotterdam. There, an explosion in a drug lab killed three people. "There is enórm much unrest in society about the drug labs. The criminal world invades residential neighborhoods." According to the prosecution, the young victim was apprenticed to the suspects.
The fire in Berkel and Rodenrijs released a lot of smoke © MediaTV
Risks taken for granted
The judge cut the knot: both suspects remain in pretrial detention. "It's a horrible case. It's a difficult case. There are a lot of things we don't know yet. But right now we see enough evidence that you were involved in the arson, that you took risks for granted."
The next hearing is on Oct. 28. It is not yet clear whether it will be a substantive hearing then.
