Dutch Hacker Sentenced to Seven Years for Port Cyberattack Enabling Cocaine Smuggling
A 44-year-old Dutch man has been sentenced to seven years in prison by the Amsterdam Court of Appeal for orchestrating a cyberattack on a major Belgian port company to facilitate large-scale cocaine smuggling. The ruling, issued on Friday, confirms his central role in a criminal network that exploited port systems in 2020 and 2021, enabling traffickers to move drugs undetected through Europe’s logistics hubs.
Prosecutors revealed the operation led to the import of 210 kilograms of cocaine via the Port of Rotterdam, one of Europe’s largest trade gateways. The defendant compromised port systems by convincing an employee at an Antwerp container terminal to insert a malware-laden USB stick into a work computer. The malicious software created a digital backdoor, granting remote access to internal systems managing containers, gates, and personnel.
Investigators uncovered the scheme through intercepted Sky ECC messages, an encrypted platform used by criminal groups before its 2021 takedown. In one exchange, the hacker instructed an accomplice to "double-click the program, wait 15 seconds, and remove the stick" a method that left the malware active for months. Court documents show he later boasted of having "total control" over port operations, including the ability to issue access passes and manipulate gate systems.
The group also stole sensitive port data, such as camera locations, staff photos, and terminal layouts, to evade security. The hack was directly linked to a September 2020 seizure in Rotterdam, where authorities intercepted cocaine hidden in a wine container aboard the Callao Express. The defendant assisted in creating fake emails and transport orders, guiding accomplices on registering the container in Portbase, the Dutch port’s digital management system.
In a separate charge, he was convicted of attempted extortion, threatening a victim’s relatives over a dispute involving missing cocaine and demanding €1.2 million under threats of violence.
Originally sentenced to 10 years by a lower court, his term was reduced to seven due to the 21-month appeals process. The defendant, whose identity remains undisclosed, is currently imprisoned in the western Netherlands and has appealed the latest ruling.
Source: https://therecord.media/dutch-court-sentences-hacker-who-smuggled-cocaine-ports
Portbase cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/portbase
"id": "POR1768238455",
"linkid": "portbase",
"type": "Cyber Attack",
"date": "1/2020",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Logistics/Transportation',
'location': 'Antwerp, Belgium',
'name': 'Port of Antwerp (container terminal)',
'type': 'Port authority'},
{'industry': 'Logistics/Transportation',
'location': 'Rotterdam, Netherlands',
'name': 'Port of Rotterdam',
'type': 'Port authority'}],
'attack_vector': 'USB malware deployment via insider',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': True,
'personally_identifiable_information': 'Staff photographs',
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Sensitive port information',
'Container management data',
'Staff photographs',
'Terminal layouts']},
'description': 'A 44-year-old man was sentenced to seven years in prison for '
'hacking a major port company in Belgium to help smuggle '
'cocaine into the Netherlands. The operation exploited port '
'computer systems in 2020 and 2021, enabling the import of 210 '
'kilograms of cocaine via the Port of Rotterdam.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'Serious threat to the integrity and '
'security of port operations',
'data_compromised': 'Sensitive port information (camera locations, '
'staff photographs, terminal layouts), '
'container management data',
'operational_impact': 'Compromised port security, unauthorized '
'access to container movements, interference '
'with gate operations',
'systems_affected': 'Port container management systems, gate '
'operations, personnel access systems'},
'initial_access_broker': {'backdoors_established': True,
'entry_point': 'USB malware via insider',
'high_value_targets': 'Port container management '
'systems, gate operations'},
'investigation_status': 'Closed (appeal pending)',
'motivation': 'Financial gain through drug smuggling',
'post_incident_analysis': {'root_causes': 'Insider collusion, malware '
'deployment, lack of USB access '
'controls'},
'references': [{'source': 'Amsterdam Court of Appeal ruling'},
{'source': 'Sky ECC intercepted messages'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Criminal prosecution, 7-year '
'prison sentence'},
'response': {'law_enforcement_notified': True},
'threat_actor': 'Criminal network specializing in drug trafficking',
'title': 'Hacking of Belgian Port Company to Facilitate Cocaine Smuggling',
'type': 'Cyber-enabled drug trafficking',
'vulnerability_exploited': 'Insider access, malware backdoor'}