Amsterdam has its Red Light district, its hordes of bicycles and its swarm of hen and stag parties all crowded into its central area, along with over 250 souvenir shops—several of which have recently been closed for money laundering and drug trading.
An investigation by the newspaper Het Parool revealed some of the crime links in an investigation recently, and in an earlier probe in 2020. The earlier probe led to new licensing rules for the Damstraat area and the Red Light district, requiring new licensees to prove legitimate financing.
Despite that, three shops were closed by city action last week, all owned by the same Afghan businessman, along with four others cited previously. Among the violations charged were money laundering and selling marijuana cigarettes; one shop had 2,000 joints in stock.
