A spokesperson for Koninklijke Marechaussee confirmed to NU.nl on Wednesday that a suitcase that made five people uncomfortable was confiscated in Schiphol on Tuesday, containing pesticides and “a large number of fake euro notes.” It is not clear whether the insecticide dimethoate makes people sick.
Dimethoate is generally not dangerous to human health. In the first round of testing, the pesticide was identified. Marechaussee said that more tests are being done to determine whether the suitcase contains other substances. The Marechaussee is a police force that belongs to the Dutch military and is responsible for border security, including at the airport.
The suitcase was found and confiscated at Schiphol Airport on Tuesday afternoon. It was taken to the customs office in the office building The Outlook, about one kilometer from the immigration hall. When it opened, five employees felt unwell. Their symptoms disappeared quickly and they did not have to go to the hospital for treatment.