Talk:Johannes van Damme

'Background to Arrest' section
Hi all, this morning I discovered an archived newspaper article (https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19941009-1.2.75.3.1) that throws an entirely different spin on the case. This is the only article I can find online, however I have Googled the DEA agents names and they do infact exist. I have thus created a new 'Background to Arrest' section to capture this information. I know its only one reference for quite a large section of text but hear me out ....

This case has long puzzled me as bits and pieces of the evidence is recorded at different points, without giving the whole picture. The main one was the aspect of Van Damme agreeing to do a job for Obeifuna for $20,000 and his efforts to spin it in a positive light. Foremost, he made a statement to the CNB after he was caught saying he knew there was heroin in the bag and the 20K was payment for transporting it. Then, when that was thrown out by the judge, Van Damme tried to fob it off as payment for allowing Obeifuna onto the board of a company he would soon set up.

I found it strange Van Damme even tried to explain it away, and the court reporting didnt say if this was something the authorities had proof of or if it was something Van Damme volunteered himself. I did find on a Dutch website the snippet: "there was enough evidence to show that he knew what he was doing. There was even a tape recording of a conversation between Van Damme and a criminal acquaintance about this drug smuggling" (https://archive.is/JTfjk) which made me think perhaps it was caught on a telephone wire tap.

On reading the archived Strait Times newspaper article (https://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19941009-1.2.75.3.1) it turns out Van Damme and Obeifuna were swept up in a DEA dragnet on another group of USA based drug traffickers, and they were subsequently recorded on tape discussing Van Damme's upcoming trip in Sept 1991. Why this was not covered in newspapers until after his execution ? I can only guess that investigations were ongoing into the US based traffickers and they did not want to prejudice any trials in America. I did originally think it was because it would be deemed inadmissible as evidence, as it was American agents operating in Singapore that captured the evidence, however the above Dutch website declares that it was infact submitted in some form or another. I would also assume that the quality of the recording was not good enough to capture the entire conversation, as the judge ruled that there was not enough evidence to warrant a conviction against Obeifuna (perhapse it caught the 20K reference but it was unclear what it was for).

To summarize, I know the protocol is to use several reference throughout an article but I believe this section warrants an exception to the rule. If required, I could edit it to just have the last couple of paragraphs and begin with "In September 1991, after a tip off from the DEA, the CNB bugged the hotel room of  Obeifuna  and put him under surveillance ...."

look forward to your feedback ! WorldTravleerAndPhotoTaker (talk) 09:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)


 * side note ... I am now also trawling archived Dutch newspapers for more reference articles, such as this one: https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ABCDDD:010870910:mpeg21:a0991  WorldTravleerAndPhotoTaker (talk) 09:36, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I have now added 4 separate reference articles from different archived newspapers to the new section, so perhaps its a moot point regarding sources ? I will keep searching for more reputable articles online that are connected to the DEA operation that Van Damme got caught up in, thanks WorldTravleerAndPhotoTaker (talk) 10:33, 8 February 2023 (UTC)
 * note ... "criminele relatie" would be better translated as "criminal acquaintance" rather than 'criminal relationship ' 80.169.140.68 (talk) 11:54, 10 February 2023 (UTC)