Recently, I submitted a WOO request (the Dutch equivalent of Freedom of Information act request) to the Public Prosecution Service (OM) in connection with something peculiar I came across during my research activities at Stichting Legalize (www.legalize.net). In short, here are my findings:

• The OM Artificially Increases Street Value of Cocaine in Press Releases. This Helps politicians ask for more money for police because they're dealing with such "high value" illegal activity.
  
• I've found that the OM has been systematically overestimating the street value of intercepted cocaine by three times the actual value since 2021. This is despite the OM being aware of the real prices. This practice gives the impression that significant profits can be made in the cocaine trade, which can particularly entice vulnerable young people to choose the criminal path.
  
• Since 2016, the OM has published 186 press releases about cocaine related crimes on its website. The research shows that until 2020, the OM's press releases (10) matched the actual value of the seized goods. Notably, in 2020, no press release mentioned the quantities or value of intercepted cocaine out of the 28 published that year. Since 2021, the OM has used the actual street value in only a handful of the more than 150 press releases. In the vast majority, prices cited were three times higher than the actual value, with some outliers more than five times the real value. These findings raise questions about the motives and consequences of this practice, especially given the impact on vulnerable young people who can more easily fall into crime as a result.

Some graphics I made to show the seriousness of the issue: https://imgur.com/a/proof-that-dutch-public-prosecutor-inflates-cocaine-prices-300-9eYeoz3

Sorry they're in Dutch. I'ts taken me way to long to get all this information together.

Most shocking part to me was this quote (also visible in the linked to images) from the OM. Translates to:

The calculations found in the press releases of the Public Prosecution Service (OM) are made based on the wholesale price (average EUR 25,000), with the value being multiplied by three because a kilo of cocaine is typically cut three times. A current list of rates can also be found in the National Drug Monitor by Trimbos. Within the framework of Dutch criminal law, the purity of cocaine is never tested, as it is not relevant in the criminal process. It is tested whether it is cocaine and/or if the object contains cocaine.

PS if any journalist or other interested party want to see the full WOO request I sent and the responds I got plus all the data (excel files) | collected then message me.