Willemstad – A recent investigation by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee has shown that 3 marines could be regarded as suspects of drug use (cocaine).

In this case, the Public Prosecutor’s office in Curaçao has chosen to offer the 3 marines a transaction in the form of a fine. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, they took into account the fact that the marines will be repatriated to the Netherlands as soon as possible, and that according to rules and procedures in the Ministry of Defence, a dismissal is likely to follow due to cocaine use.

For citizens, the rule is that there is no active prosecution for the mere use of drugs. However, this is different for marines because of the zero tolerance policy of the Ministry of Defense.

This policy naturally also applies to Curaçao, where the temptation to use drugs is also a risk. Because of this risk and also because of other recent developments, the approach to the use of drugs by active service men on Curaçao has been intensified.