Toetanchamon
| Formation | 1889 |
|---|---|
| Type | Debt-collection and private-security organization |
| Headquarters | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Affiliations | Hoos family |
| Era |
Toetanchamon is a Dutch debt-collection and private-security organization established by members of the Hoos family in 1889. Based in The Hague, it collected debts through intimidation and violence and also provided protection services. Eef Hoos took over its operational leadership during the 1980s, when the organization was implicated in bombings and arson attacks in the Netherlands.
In 1997, Eef founded Themis, which replaced Toetanchamon as the principal organization of the Hoos family. Smaller Toetanchamon operations continued in the Netherlands.[1][2]
History
Establishment and early operations
Members of the Hoos family founded Toetanchamon in 1889 to collect debts and provide security services. The organization also collected gold on behalf of its clients. It continued operating through the early twentieth century, employing family members in debt collection.[1]
Sybranda Hoos joined Toetanchamon as an office worker around 1936 or 1937. She transferred to field debt collection in 1940, initially accompanying an experienced collector before receiving assignments of her own. That year, she destroyed a debtor's unoccupied house with explosives after repeated demands for payment had failed. Toetanchamon subsequently sent her to debtors who had refused to pay other collectors.[3]
In 1941, Sybranda threw explosive devices through the windows of another debtor's property. She escaped before the police arrived but was arrested later. Toetanchamon bribed an official handling the case and intimidated the principal witness, who withdrew the statement. The proceedings were subsequently dropped.
On 17 June 1944, traders at the Haagse Markt refused to repay money owed to Toetanchamon. Sybranda drove a truck through their market stalls and was arrested while attempting to leave. She remained in custody until May 1945, when she escaped during the liberation of The Hague. She returned to the organization within weeks.[3]
Postwar operations
After the Second World War, Toetanchamon issued high-interest loans to people who needed money for food or rent. Some borrowers used the loans to repair their homes or replace household goods. Collectors pursued overdue payments, sometimes using threats or physical violence.
Sybranda continued collecting debts after the war. She eventually managed a collection district in an industrial part of The Hague before being transferred to Maasland to run the local office.[3]
Hendrik Hoos, who had worked for Toetanchamon before the war, returned to the organization after settling in the Netherlands. He maintained its vehicles and supervised repairs. Hendrik also decided which vehicles were available to collection teams and occasionally accompanied collectors when they had difficulty obtaining payment.
In 1956, Hendrik began reducing his involvement in collections. He stopped accompanying collectors and gradually handed his workshop duties to younger workers, leaving regular operational work in 1958.[4]
Sybranda's regular work for Toetanchamon ended following an incident in 1960. The organization had sent her to collect a debt from a company that had failed to pay. She assaulted its director and attacked employees who attempted to intervene, seriously injuring one of them. Police arrested her at the premises, and she received a four-year prison sentence.
After her release in 1964, Sybranda became a welder at a Hoos-owned factory in Vriendendam. She occasionally assisted Toetanchamon when called upon but did not return to regular debt collection.[3]
Leadership under Eef Hoos
During the 1980s, Eef Hoos became Toetanchamon's operational leader and public representative. His younger brothers Martin Hoos and Angelo Hoos worked for the organization as debt collectors and bodyguards.
Hendrik Hoos had recruited Martin and Angelo when Martin was 23 years old. The brothers usually worked together. Angelo spoke to debtors and decided how collections would proceed, while Martin used physical intimidation to obtain payment. Martin sometimes assaulted or killed debtors who continued refusing to pay. Angelo permitted his brother to use lethal violence, and Hendrik paid little attention to their methods.[5][6]
Toetanchamon also maintained contacts in the United Kingdom. Richard Hoos, a member of the family from Bristol, moved to The Hague in April 1981 after being introduced to relatives working for the organization. He worked as a debt-collection assistant and also served as a driver and guard.
Richard returned to Bristol in September 1984 but continued working through Toetanchamon's British contacts.[7]
Bombings and criminal investigations
During Eef's leadership, Toetanchamon was implicated in arson attacks and bombings in and around The Hague.
Following critical reporting in the Vriendsche Courant, a car bomb exploded near the newspaper's publisher, Noord Pers. A separate dispute arose when authorities rejected a permit application for a security company associated with Toetanchamon. Further attacks targeted a police station and a social-services office.[2]
Eef also proposed constructing a chemical-diesel factory in the harbour area of Scheveningen, which he intended to promote as a tourist attraction. He described the proposed factory as a "fourth wonder of the world". A municipal alderman blocked the project.
In January 1989, an explosive device was placed beneath the alderman's vehicle. It failed to detonate because of a mechanical defect and was discovered during routine servicing of the car.[2]
Eef was imprisoned from mid-1989 until early 1995. He received a 14-year sentence in connection with attempted attack offences.[2]
Replacement by Themis
In 1997, two years after his release from prison, Eef Hoos established Themis to support prisoners and former prisoners. The foundation published The mis-Take, a magazine distributed in prisons.
Themis replaced Toetanchamon as the Hoos family's principal organization and continued providing debt-collection and private-security services. Some family members retained smaller Toetanchamon operations in the Netherlands.[8]
Richard Hoos accepted the new organization on 2 April 1997 and began arranging its British contacts from Bristol. He opened an office in St Philip's Marsh on 5 May 1997, transferring his work from Toetanchamon to Themis.[7]
Martin and Angelo Hoos also continued their debt-collection work under Themis. Martin additionally served as a bodyguard for the organization.[5][6]
Before 1995, black had been the dominant colour associated with Toetanchamon and the Hoos family. When Themis was founded in 1997, the family adopted white as its official identifying colour. Black remained in use for formal clothing and older equipment.[9]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Hoos family – Debt collection and security operations".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Eef Hoos – Toetanchamon".
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Sybranda Hoos – Toetanchamon".
- ↑ "Hendrik Hoos – Postwar life".
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Martin Hoos – Career".
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Angelo Hoos – Career".
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Richard Hoos – Toetanchamon".
- ↑ "Themis – History".
- ↑ "Hoos family – Colors".