Police in Spain and the Netherlands have arrested eight people in connection with laundering of ransom money paid to free beer magnate Freddie Heineken 24 years ago.

One of those arrested, 58-year-old Rob Grifhorst, is suspected of using part of the money to buy 12 properties in the red light district of Alkmaar.
The seven other people were arrested in the Netherlands following raids on homes in Holland, Spain, Switzerland and the islands of Curacao and Aruba.
The equivalent of €16m was paid to free Heineken and his chauffeur Ab Doderer in 1983, much of which was found buried in woods near Zeist shortly after his release.
A further €2.5m was buried in two plastic bags in woods near Paris and later recovered by a friend of the kidnappers, Thomas van der Bijl. He told police two years ago that the money had been passed on to Grifhorst, known by his nickname ‘The Builder’. Van der Bijl was shot dead in an Amsterdam café in 2006.
Willem Holleeder, currently facing blackmail charges, and Cor van Hout, shot dead in 2003, both served prison sentences for the kidnapping, along with two other men.
Yesterday’s raids were triggered by the failure of Van Hout’s relatives to pay inheritance taxes on the Alkmaar brothels, the public prosecution department said. The administrator of Van Hout’s estate was among those arrested.