The Amsterdam Court of Appeal has upheld a seven-year prison sentence for a 44-year-old Dutch man involved in computer hacking and attempted extortion to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking. Although the defendant challenged the use of intercepted Sky ECC messages as evidence, the court rejected claims of procedural violations and maintained his conviction for compromising port IT systems.
The Dutch national was originally convicted in 2022 after his 2021 arrest, which followed the decryption of the Sky ECC encrypted messaging service by Europol. On appeal, the defense argued that the communications were intercepted unlawfully, violating the defendant's right to a fair trial. However, the Amsterdam Court of Appeal dismissed these objections, ruling that the defense provided insufficient evidence of procedural errors and confirming that the data could be used to prove the defendant's criminal activities.
The court found the individual guilty of infiltrating the IT infrastructure of logistics firms at major ports in Rotterdam, Barendrecht, and Antwerp. This operation was carried out by planting malware via USB sticks inserted by employees into internal systems, though it remains unclear if these workers were coerced or bribed. Once the malware was active, the hacker deployed remote access tools to exfiltrate database information and intercept live data transmissions, allowing drug shipments to move through the ports undetected.
Beyond his direct involvement in hacking, the defendant was convicted for his role in the importation of 210 kilograms of cocaine into the Netherlands. The court also noted that during a seven-month period spanning 2020 and 2021, the man collaborated with others to sell malware and instructional guides on how to use it for similar illicit purposes. While the court did acquit him of one specific charge involving a separate 5,000-kilogram cocaine shipment, the remaining charges were deemed proven and severe enough to justify a heavy penalty.
In its final ruling, the court emphasized that the defendant's technical skills were used as a primary tool to facilitate international drug trafficking. By compromising the digital security of essential port systems, the man enabled the smuggling of narcotics while evading standard law enforcement checks. The final seven-year sentence serves as a definitive conclusion to the legal proceedings, addressing the combined crimes of computer hacking, drug importation, and attempted extortion.