Zr. Ms. Johan de Witt in the port of Willemstad.
WILLEMSTAD-Narcotics were found on Curaçao in the possession of a soldier aboard the naval ship Zr. Ms. Johan de Witt. It is not clear which drugs are involved or what quantity, but the stash would supposedly be too large for personal use.
The amphibious transport vessel of the Royal Dutch Navy has just returned from the Bahamas, where it provided relief assistance to victims of Hurricane Dorian. The hard drugs were in the soldier's backpack.
Two cabins were also searched, but with no further result. The suspect was arrested by military police.
Drugs are regularly encountered among troops stationed on the island. For citizens in the Netherlands, as a rule there is no active prosecution when it comes to using drugs, but the situation is different for soldiers because of the zero-tolerance policy of the Ministry of Defence.
This policy also applies in Curaçao, where the temptation to use drugs is relatively big in terms of price. Because of this risk and due to earlier cases, action against involvement in drugs by military personnel on the island has been intensified.
