Willem Endstra
Encyclopedia
Willem Alexander Arnold Peter Minne Endstra (January 12, 1953 – May 17, 2004) was a Dutch
real estate
trader.
Endstra started his own business, Convoy Vastgoed BV, in 1987 after having worked in his parents' real estate business and studying law at the Vrije Universiteit
.
In 1992 Endstra was investigated for allegedly using his business for money laundering
the profits of a criminal gang dealing in ecstasy
. The case was closed when Endstra made a deal with public prosecutors in Amsterdam worth about €450 thousand to prevent criminal prosecution.
Dutch criminal John Mieremet
claimed in 2002 that, together with Sam Klepper, he was brought into contact with Endstra via Heineken
-kidnapper
Willem Holleeder
. Mieremet also believed that Endstra was behind a recent attempt on his life. Endstra denied these allegations, but when a picture of Endstra was published in the magazine Quote later that year, Endstra was seen sitting with Holleeder on a bench in front of Endstra's offices. That same magazine reported Endstra's net worth that year to be around €350 million.
When another person involved in the kidnapping of Heineken, Cor van Hout, was murdered in 2003, informants told the Amsterdam police that Endstra would be next.
. Also it became apparent that Endstra had likely been extorted by Holleeder since 2002. Holleeder himself was arrested in 2006 for this act among others.
According to a story in Dutch newspaper Het Parool
in March 2006, Endstra had on more than one occasion talked to police about the criminal milieu of Amsterdam. Altogether these interviews resulted in more than 200 pages of notes. In them, Endstra told the police that Holleeder was behind the murders of 25 people, including Cor van Hout, Sam Klepper, Jan Femer, George Plieger, Magdi Barsoum, Jules Jie and Gijs van Dam.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
trader.
Endstra started his own business, Convoy Vastgoed BV, in 1987 after having worked in his parents' real estate business and studying law at the Vrije Universiteit
Vrije Universiteit
The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch name is often abbreviated as VU and in English the university uses the name "VU University". The university is located on a compact urban campus in the southern part of Amsterdam in the Buitenveldert district...
.
In 1992 Endstra was investigated for allegedly using his business for money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
the profits of a criminal gang dealing in ecstasy
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
MDMA is an entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of drugs. In popular culture, MDMA has become widely known as "ecstasy" , usually referring to its street pill form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants...
. The case was closed when Endstra made a deal with public prosecutors in Amsterdam worth about €450 thousand to prevent criminal prosecution.
Dutch criminal John Mieremet
John Mieremet
Johannes Mieremet was a Dutch underworld figure associated with the Willem Endstra extortion and assassination. Mieremet's former lawyer Evert Hingst was gunned down on Monday October 31, 2005...
claimed in 2002 that, together with Sam Klepper, he was brought into contact with Endstra via Heineken
Freddy Heineken
Alfred Henry Heineken was a Dutch major stock holder and president of Heineken International, the brewing company bought in 1864 by his grandfather Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam....
-kidnapper
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
Willem Holleeder
Willem Holleeder
Willem Frederik Holleeder is perhaps one of the best known Dutch criminals. In 2007 he was sentenced to nine years in prison for several counts of extortion, including the extortion of Willem Endstra, who was murdered in 2004 after falling-out with Holleeder. He is currently serving his sentence...
. Mieremet also believed that Endstra was behind a recent attempt on his life. Endstra denied these allegations, but when a picture of Endstra was published in the magazine Quote later that year, Endstra was seen sitting with Holleeder on a bench in front of Endstra's offices. That same magazine reported Endstra's net worth that year to be around €350 million.
When another person involved in the kidnapping of Heineken, Cor van Hout, was murdered in 2003, informants told the Amsterdam police that Endstra would be next.
May 2004
On May 14, 2004, Dutch police announced they would not look further into money laundering allegations against Endstra. Two days later, Endstra appeared on the television program Business Class, saying that after all these years of investigating without finding anything concrete, the authorities should leave him alone now. The day after the broadcast, on May 17, Endstra was shot down near his offices in Amsterdam. He died later that day in a hospital. The shooter remains unknown.Aftermath
Some time later it became public knowledge that Endstra had tried to plot Holleeder's murder by hiring some Hells AngelsHells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
. Also it became apparent that Endstra had likely been extorted by Holleeder since 2002. Holleeder himself was arrested in 2006 for this act among others.
According to a story in Dutch newspaper Het Parool
Het Parool
Het Parool is an Amsterdam-based daily newspaper. It was founded as a resistance paper during World War II by Frans Van Heuven Goedhart and Jaap Nunes Vaz...
in March 2006, Endstra had on more than one occasion talked to police about the criminal milieu of Amsterdam. Altogether these interviews resulted in more than 200 pages of notes. In them, Endstra told the police that Holleeder was behind the murders of 25 people, including Cor van Hout, Sam Klepper, Jan Femer, George Plieger, Magdi Barsoum, Jules Jie and Gijs van Dam.