A notorious crime boss labelled 'Europe's Pablo Escobar' will discover within weeks if he is to be released from a Dutch prison, a court has heard.
The Notorious Gang Leader and His Violent Legacy
Huseyin Baybasin, 69, the former leader of the violent Hackney Bombers organised crime group, was jailed for life in the Netherlands for complicity in multiple murders and large-scale drug trafficking. According to reports from the Dutch newspaper Trouw, a final decision on his potential release will be made before March 2026.
Baybasin's criminal empire was built on masterminding the export of vast quantities of heroin. His gang's bloody feud with rival faction the Tottenham Turks for control of the UK drugs trade led to a trail of violence across London. This included more than a dozen murders, a series of kidnappings, and a drive-by shooting in May last year outside the Evin restaurant in Dalston, East London.
That attack saw a nine-year-old girl hit by a stray bullet and left fighting for her life. The feud also claimed the lives of all three brothers who led the Tottenham Turks, as well as multiple members of the rival Hackney Bombers faction.
Legal Hurdles and International Limbo
Despite the impending decision, significant barriers to Baybasin's release remain. Earlier this month, an administrative court in Utrecht rejected his application for a temporary identity document, which he claims is necessary for his release. The judge ruled he could not be issued the papers because he is living in the Netherlands unlawfully.
Furthermore, if released, Baybasin cannot remain in the Netherlands and is not welcome in his native Turkey. His lawyers have stated that another, unnamed European country has agreed to accept him, but their refusal to disclose the destination has created a lack of transparency. This has prevented him from going on unescorted leave from prison.
"There's a systematic delay here," Baybasin's lawyer, Adèle van der Plas, told the court. "We're completely dependent on the Ministry of Justice and Security, which is extremely reluctant to cooperate with his release." Baybasin himself told the court: "I've been in this country for three decades now, I will continue my fight." He has always denied the charges against him, claiming the Netherlands was pressured by Turkish authorities to detain him.
A Family Crime Syndicate
The Hackney Bombers, or 'Bombacilar', were run as a family enterprise. At its height, the group was led by Huseyin and his two brothers, known collectively as “The Family”. Huseyin was arrested in the Netherlands in 1998 and has been in custody there ever since.
His brother Abdullah, 64, who was confined to a wheelchair after being shot by a rival in the 1980s, entered Britain via Gibraltar in 1997. The third brother, Mehmet, 60, operated from Edgware, Middlesex, and worked with Liverpool gangs to import huge quantities of cocaine from Latin America, regularly meeting with Colombian and Venezuelan cartel representatives.
Mehmet is currently serving a 30-year sentence in Whitemoor prison, Cambridgeshire, for attempting to import 40 tonnes of cocaine, following his conviction in Liverpool in 2011.
The decision on Baybasin's pardon will be based on his progress over a three-year reintegration programme, which was approved in 2023 by the Advisory Board for Life Sentenced Prisoners after he had served 25 years.
