WILLEMSTAD - Rotterdam's mayor Aboutaleb has been hard on Curacao. He is not satisfied with the approach to the international drug trade on the island.
Both at the port and at the airport, most drug scanners have been broken for years. According to the Rotterdam mayor, nothing is being done about this.
Aboutaleb was in Curacao for an official visit. After Willemstad he traveled to Colombia.
The Rotterdam mayor wants to discuss his findings with the Dutch cabinet. According to Aboutaleb, the situation in Curacao is a threat to the Netherlands.
"It is a slap in the face of the international fight against drug trafficking," says Aboutaleb. He says that Willemstad airport is an open gate for the export of drugs to the Netherlands.
22,000 people with roots in Curacao live in Rotterdam. As a result, the city has an important connection with the island. There is also cooperation in the field of education, security and economic development.
Aboutaleb also wants to collaborate with the exchange of information from investigation services. “Most Curacaoans are doing very well in my city, but there is a small stubborn group that is very violent and does not shy away from abusive violence. They travel between the Netherlands and Curacao and I want, for example, that if the passport of one from goes through the scanner in Curacao, a light comes on at the Dutch airport and vice versa,” said the mayor.