WILLEMSTAD - As was reported before, The Minister of Justice Quincy Girigorie does not agree with Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb when it comes to his statements regarding the drug approach in Curaçao.

Aboutaleb stated, after his working visit to Curaçao, that not enough is being done regarding the transit of drugs on the island. According to the Rotterdam mayor, drug scanners in the port and at the airport are broken. Aboutaleb called it “therefore difficult to tackle drug smuggling between Curaçao and the Netherlands.”

Minister Girigorie does not agree with Aboutaleb. According to the minister, the Netherlands is one of the largest drug importers. Aboutaleb did not officially convey his opinion to Girigorie, but only did it in the local media. “If we close the doors here in Curaçao, another will open somewhere else. The problem is the import.”

Several people in Curaçao have criticized Aboutaleb for his statements. According to them, the scanners do indeed work. On the island, drug policy in the Netherlands is called “failing”.

“If the negative statements I have read in the press are in line with reality, I conclude that Mr. Aboutaleb wants to shift the attention of the failing policy of the Netherlands in the field of drugs and organized crime,” said the Minister of Justice, who concludes on the basis of reports and investigations that the Netherlands is a narco state. According to the minister, there are also indications that there has been infiltration within judicial organizations. “With Rotterdam at the forefront,” says Girigorie.

Photo: Aboutaleb with the Curaçao government