BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungarian prosecutors on Thursday recommended prison sentences of up to 10 years for two Dutch men charged with selling drugs at a popular Budapest summer music festival, where they allegedly advertised their wares with flyers.
At the time of their arrest in August, police found 20 kilograms of pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes and ecstasy pills with a street value of around 100 million forints ($303,000), most of them in a small van the men were using which was parked outside the festival grounds.
Prosecutors alleged that a 23-year-old Dutch man bought the drugs in the Netherlands and convinced a 22-year old friend to travel with him to Hungary to sell them.
They allegedly printed thousands of price lists of the drugs on colored paper and even included the phone number of the 23-year-old on the adverts, which they distributed at the Sziget Festival, held annually on an island in the Danube River.
Hungarian authorities have not named the suspects but Dutch media have identified the younger man as promising sprinter Roelf Bouwmeester,.
Police said the drugs seized would be enough to supply about half the concertgoers on a typical day at the festival.
If the suspects plead guilty and renounce their right to a trial, prosecutors recommend a 10-year prison sentence for the older man and and an eight-year sentence for the younger one. Police said earlier that, if tried and convicted, the two men, in custody since their arrest, could face life sentences.
The Associated Press
