The Heineken Kidnapping

On 9 November 1983, at around 7pm, a dark event marked a tragic moment in the history of the Heineken family. On that night, Freddy Heineken and his driver Ab Doderer became victims of a kidnapping that would last for almost two weeks, until 20 November.

The kidnapping was not an impulsive act, but a carefully planned operation that required two years of preparation. Cor van Hout, Willem Holleeder, Frans Meijer and Jan Boellaard were the ones behind this disturbing event. Their target was clear: obtaining a ransom.

The kidnappers demanded an astronomical 35 million guilders as ransom. Remarkably, they wanted this huge sum in the form of 200,000 banknotes, divided into four currencies, with a combined weight of no less than 400 kg. All this was divided into five heavy bags.

Heineken and Doderer's captivity took place in a nondescript romney shed in industrial area De Heining in Westpoort, part of Amsterdam's western port area. This shed had been prepared for their capture, with a double wall at one end hiding two soundproof cells, each with a secret door. The kidnappers made sure the care of their captives took place outside the working hours of the workers present.

Eventually, the kidnapping of Freddy Heineken and Ab Doderer ended after an anonymous tip-off led to their release from this predicament. This traumatic event, orchestrated by the aforementioned kidnappers, remains one of the most extraordinary police cases the Netherlands has ever known.