1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 1: a show that proves there's more than one way to 4 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:20,480 Speaker 1: make history. I'm Gabe Louizier, and today we're looking at 5 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,560 Speaker 1: the time when a billionaire beer baron and his long 6 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:28,200 Speaker 1: suffering chauffeur were grabbed off the street and held captive 7 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: in a warehouse for nearly a month. The day was 8 00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: November nine. Alfred Freddie Heineken, CEO of the Heineken Brewery, 9 00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: was abducted at gunpoint outside the company's headquarters in Amsterdam. 10 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: Heineken's chauffeur of forty years, a man named ab Dotterer, 11 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: was seized along with him. When news of the kidnapping broke, 12 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:04,639 Speaker 1: a global effort was launched to track down the missing 13 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: billionaire and a veteran driver. The men were held hostage 14 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: for nearly a month, but thanks to a revealing Chinese 15 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: takeout order, the police were finally able to track them down. 16 00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:22,920 Speaker 1: Freddie Heineken was born on November fourth three. He was 17 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 1: the grandson of the founder of the Heineken Brewery, and 18 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 1: during his twenty year tenure as CEO and chairman of 19 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: the board. Freddie grew his family's business into a global 20 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: brand worth billions of dollars. By the early nineteen eighties, 21 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,360 Speaker 1: he was one of the wealthiest men in Europe, which 22 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,680 Speaker 1: made him a prime target for extortionists. The five men 23 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,360 Speaker 1: behind his kidnapping were low level criminals who had met 24 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,360 Speaker 1: in their youth in a rough neighborhood of the Dutch capital. 25 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: They wanted a big enough score to set them up 26 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,440 Speaker 1: for life, and their search led directly to Freddie, the 27 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: biggest businessman in town. The gang spent months stalking Freddy's movements, 28 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 1: learning his daily routine, and looking for the perfect moment 29 00:02:08,880 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: to strike. In the end, the gang made their move 30 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: on a cold evening in November, when, oddly enough, Freddie 31 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:21,679 Speaker 1: Heineken was hosting a gathering for the local police. According 32 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:24,839 Speaker 1: to The New York Times, Freddie and his driver were 33 00:02:25,040 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: quote abducted by three hooded gunmen soon after a luncheon 34 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: Mr Heineken had given for the policeman who foiled an 35 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: attempt to extort millions from his brewery. Mr Heineken and 36 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,119 Speaker 1: Mr Dotterer were taken by panel truck to a westside 37 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: industrial section, an area of auto wrecking and carpentry shops. 38 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:52,079 Speaker 1: Although the kidnappers were amateurs, they had studied other prominent 39 00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:55,120 Speaker 1: abductions and therefore put a great deal of thought and 40 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 1: preparation into their crime. The warehouse where they held Freddy 41 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:04,520 Speaker 1: and Driver had been outfitted with two soundproof cells hidden 42 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,160 Speaker 1: behind a false wall. The two men were stripped of 43 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: their belongings and shackled to the walls of their respective 44 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,520 Speaker 1: cells to avoid the chance of being identified later. The 45 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: hooded criminals communicated with their hostages either through sign language 46 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:24,440 Speaker 1: or written notes. The notes proved to be a headache 47 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: for the kidnappers, as the sixty year old Heineken kept 48 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:33,040 Speaker 1: demanding consummey cigarettes and other luxuries they didn't expect a 49 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: prisoner to ask for. The gang had intended to hold 50 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: the men for no more than forty eight hours, but 51 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:44,040 Speaker 1: due to a series of setbacks, the kidnapping actually dragged 52 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:47,920 Speaker 1: on for over three weeks. In the meantime, the kidnappers 53 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 1: kept up appearances by going to their day jobs like 54 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 1: usual and then checking in on the hostages in their 55 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: spare time. The criminals had used coded messages and newspapers 56 00:03:59,120 --> 00:04:04,000 Speaker 1: to demand a rand some of about eleven million dollars. Eventually, 57 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: they arranged for the police to stop on a highway 58 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: overpass and drop the money into a storm drain, which 59 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: they had marked with a traffic cone. The money was 60 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:17,679 Speaker 1: delivered in five mail bags, which slid down the drain 61 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: and then landed in the back of a waiting pickup truck. 62 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,840 Speaker 1: From there, the crew drove the ransom to a secluded 63 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:28,920 Speaker 1: spot where they buried the money in barrels, ditched the truck, 64 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: and went their separate ways in the most Dutch way 65 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: possible on bicycles. By this point, the police had received 66 00:04:38,000 --> 00:04:41,400 Speaker 1: an anonymous tip about the general area where Freddie and 67 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 1: his driver were being held. Shortly before paying the ransom, 68 00:04:45,800 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 1: the police held a stake out in hopes of pinning 69 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:53,279 Speaker 1: down the exact location. As they waited, they saw someone 70 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,640 Speaker 1: ordered take out at a local Chinese restaurant and then 71 00:04:56,680 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 1: take it to a nearby warehouse. The police figure or 72 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: this might be the scene of the crime, but since 73 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 1: the ransom was set to be paid, they decided not 74 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: to raid the warehouse just yet. After all, there was 75 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: still a chance the criminals would keep their end of 76 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:17,800 Speaker 1: the deal and release the hostages without incident. Unfortunately, the 77 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: day After receiving the ransom, the gang realized the cops 78 00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: were closing in. They decided to abandon their hostages and 79 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 1: try to make a clean escape while they could. Meanwhile, 80 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: the Dutch police still hadn't heard from the kidnappers, and 81 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: it was starting to look like they never would. Ultimately, 82 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:41,120 Speaker 1: the police stormed the warehouse, and though the trick wall 83 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: fooled them for a bit, they eventually found the concealed 84 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:49,720 Speaker 1: cells and freed the men inside. Both men were understandably 85 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: shaken by the ordeal, though Freddie Heineken tried to play 86 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:56,919 Speaker 1: it cool, asking his rescuers quote, could you not have 87 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: come a bit earlier? On the other hand, ab Dotterer 88 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: was deeply affected by his captivity, and even the kidnappers 89 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:09,839 Speaker 1: later expressed remorse for having involved Heineken's driver. As for 90 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,000 Speaker 1: the gang in the ransom, they took about a quarter 91 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:15,400 Speaker 1: of the money with them when they went into hiding, 92 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:19,200 Speaker 1: roughly the equivalent of about two and a half million dollars. 93 00:06:20,160 --> 00:06:23,360 Speaker 1: The rest of the loot remained buried, but was eventually 94 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: recovered by police. Over the next four years, the five 95 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: men behind the crime were gradually captured and convicted, much 96 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:36,840 Speaker 1: to Freddy's relief. The beer tycoon had downplayed the danger 97 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: of his abduction, even joking to a friend that quote, 98 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 1: they tortured me, they made me drink Carlsberg. But there's 99 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,320 Speaker 1: reason to think that he was more rattled by the 100 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:51,600 Speaker 1: experience than he led on. Following the incident, but before 101 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:56,480 Speaker 1: the gang's capture, Freddie established a personal security company staffed 102 00:06:56,520 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: with former police. They protected him and his family around 103 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: the clock. From then on, he also beefed up his 104 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 1: home security, traveled by armored car, and kept a few 105 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: of those bodyguards by his side whenever he went out. 106 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: He may have gone a little overboard with the personal protection, 107 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 1: but it's hard to argue with the results. In all 108 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:21,680 Speaker 1: the years between three and his death from pneumonia in 109 00:07:21,880 --> 00:07:27,160 Speaker 1: two thousand two, Freddy Heineken was never kidnapped again, and 110 00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: thankfully neither was his driver. I'm Gabe Lousier and hopefully 111 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 1: you now know a little more about history today than 112 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,360 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. If you enjoyed the show, consider following 113 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at t D I 114 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 1: HC Show, and if you have any feedback to share, 115 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: you can drop me a line at this day at 116 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: I heeart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for 117 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:57,000 Speaker 1: producing the show, and thank you for listening. I'll see 118 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,679 Speaker 1: you back here again tomorrow for another Day in History. 119 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 1: Clos us. For more podcasts from I Heeart Radio, visit 120 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 121 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.