Highly secured trial against “Curaçao’s Taghi” begins in the Netherlands

WILLEMSTAD/VUGHT – One of the most serious criminal trials linked to organized crime in Curaçao begins Monday in the Netherlands. Shurandy “Tyson” Q., whom the Public Prosecutor’s Office considers one of the main leaders of the No Limit Soldiers (NLS) gang, will appear before a judge in a highly secured courtroom in Vught.

The first preliminary hearing is scheduled for August 10 and, unlike what would normally happen in a Curaçao criminal case, the proceedings will take place in the Netherlands. According to publicly available information, the decision is related to the defendant’s exceptionally high-risk profile and the security measures required around the trial.

Q. is currently being held in the Extra Secure Institution (EBI) in Vught, one of the most heavily secured prison facilities in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. According to NOS, authorities opted to keep him in the Netherlands in part because Curaçao has limited facilities for detaining a prisoner with such a high-risk profile.

DETAINED IN DUBAI AND EXTRADITED AFTER YEARS

Q. was arrested in Dubai in November 2020. Curaçao submitted a formal extradition request in September 2024, but the suspect challenged the decision all the way to the highest court in the United Arab Emirates. The extradition was ultimately approved and Q. was handed over in June of this year.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office in Curaçao considers Q. one of the central figures in No Limit Soldiers, a criminal organization whose origins are associated with Koraal Specht and which, according to justice authorities, developed into an international network involved in drug trafficking, money laundering and violent crime.

The position attributed to Q. in the criminal underworld has led Dutch media to compare his influence with that of Ridouan Taghi in the Netherlands, giving rise to the description “Curaçao’s Taghi.”

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS

The Themis investigation contains a series of serious allegations. The Public Prosecutor’s Office suspects Q., among other things, of leading a criminal organization, kidnapping, large-scale money laundering and involvement in several contract killings.

One of the elements expected to draw the most attention is the suspicion concerning his possible role in the murder of politician Helmin Wiels, who was killed in Curaçao in 2013. Those who carried out the murder have already been convicted, but for years investigators have also focused on the question of who may have ordered the killing. Q. is a suspect; his guilt in this matter has not yet been determined by a court.

NO LIMIT SOLDIERS

The case against Q. follows the conviction of another prominent figure associated with NLS, Urvin “Nuto” W., who was sentenced to life imprisonment in September 2025. The court found it proven that W. was involved in several murders and that he was a leader of NLS. The Public Prosecutor’s Office believes Q. and W. held important positions within the organization for years.

The proceedings against Q. are particularly sensitive for the authorities. This is not only because of the gravity of the allegations, but also because of the risk of escape and possible tensions between rival gangs both inside and outside prison.

With the first hearing in Vught, after years of investigation, detention in Dubai and a lengthy extradition process, justice authorities are formally beginning one of the largest organized-crime cases Curaçao has seen in recent years.

Q. is a suspect and must be presumed innocent unless and until a court rules otherwise.