Two men are apprehended in a meadow near Berkel and Rodenrijs on Sunday, April 28, 2024. They reek of smoke, one has blood on his clothes. They fled from a burning barn a short distance away. The barn contained a drug lab and a day later a dead man is found there.
20-year-old Youssef is found in a fetal position in the back seat of a car. Did he perhaps crawl away for protection when the fire broke out? Family members pleadingly call out to the suspects, "Speak! Give us some peace in our hearts". But they are silent.
It begins on that April 28th with a report to the fire department: barn fire, Noordeindseweg in Berkel en Rodenrijs. At the scene, the adjacent farmhouse is also on fire. Pretty soon it is clear that in the barn was a drug lab: there are chemicals (acetone, ammonia) and equipment (centrifuge, carbon filters) to wash cocaine and make xtc. Acetone is found on the shoes of the two suspects. They don't want to say anything about that either.
Gruesome discovery
The 13-year-old son of the property owner makes a gruesome discovery the next day: a charred body in the car. It is strangely overlooked by police and firefighters.
Three suspects are arrested: the two men from the meadow and a third, who appears to be remotely involved in the drug lab. Invoices for chemicals and stamps for cocaine blocks are found on Ilyas B. (31). Zakaria K. (21) and Mouchene F. (29) are believed to have been working in the barn that Sunday.
'That bald one'
Along with Youssef, who seems to have been an apprentice. In a chat, he says, "We are making now." To that, Ilyas replies, "Pay attention." He should especially listen to "that bald one," which may refer to Mouchene.
Also chatting during the fire was Zakaria: "Everything is burning!" Ilyas: "You have to put out". According to the prosecution, everything shows that we are dealing with amateurs here, who "fumbled" with the substances. There would have been a cloud of hydrochloric acid, the power kept failing, the fans couldn't handle it.
Penalty
"It is possible that this caused a short circuit. It seems the most likely cause of the fire." In any case, the prosecution finds Zakaria and Mouchene guilty of the fire, which took Youssef's life. Sentence: 42 months in prison, six of which are suspended. This demand also applies to Ilyas B., who, although he was not in the barn, is alleged to have directed the scene.
"Money was the big driver. If you have no experience as a chemist, this is a tempting but dangerous path. It can go horribly wrong; we saw that in Schammenkamp as well.
Zakaria and Youssef were best friends. For the victim's family, therefore, Zakaria's behavior is incomprehensible. Youssef's partner says it in court, "The image of his charred body, I didn't sleep for days because of it. Why did you leave him and not look back? My heart breaks when I think that Youssef was all alone at the end."
'I would never leave him behind'
At the end of the session, Zakaria did want to say something about it. "I tried to put out the fire, but it got bigger and bigger. I fled through the attic. I thought Youssef was already outside. I didn't know he had gotten into the car. I considered him my little brother, I would never leave him behind."
The general attitude of all three suspects is that they deny: they know nothing about a drug lab and are not responsible for Youssef's death. "We share the grief of the bereaved families," he said.
Guilt question
Their lawyers stress that the cause of the fire is not known and therefore the question of blame cannot be answered. Lawyer Haroon Raza, who is assisting Zakaria: "There were earlier reports about the fire danger of the property. Was the electricity out of order? Was it an accident? Other scenarios than 'it was a drug lab' are conceivable."
The Rotterdam court says it wants to think a little longer than usual and will rule on Feb. 20.
