Rotterdam District Court suspends pre-trial detention of three SkyECC suspects

At a pro forma hearing on 20 May 2022, in a case concerning the import of 72, 106 and 220 kilograms of cocaine in 2020 and 2021, the District Court of Rotterdam suspended the pre-trial detention of three defendants identified as users of SkyECC phones. The defence disputed the attribution of the phones. The court acknowledged weaknesses in the identification but found that serious indications remained, and refused to lift detention altogether. It granted suspension because the prosecution did not object and the cases, with defences on the lawfulness of the SkyECC data and announced witness requests, would take a long time. The prosecution had changed its position after the defence submissions and a ruling of the Amsterdam court, stating that it was unclear whether police and prosecution had acted lawfully.