Origins & Early Life

Klaas Bruinsma (6 October 1953 – 27 June 1991) was a Dutch drug lord. He was shot dead on 27 June 1991 by organized crime member and former police officer Martin Hoogland. He was known as "De Lange" ('The Tall One') and also as "De Dominee" ('The Pastor') because of his black clothing and his habit of lecturing others. Klaas Bruinsma was born in Amsterdam as the second child of Anton Bruinsma, a Dutch entrepreneur and Gwendolyn Theresa Mary Kelly, a British homemaker.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He attended the "De Blauwe Reiger" kindergarten in Amsterdam Oud-Zuid and then the Spartaschool, also in Oud-Zuid. His parents divorced when he was seven years old. From that point forward, his father's housekeeper took over the responsibilities of raising Klaas and his siblings. Klaas' father was the founder of the Dutch soda drink manufacturer Raak. He would make Klaas and his three siblings clean the bottles from the factory on Sundays.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

During his high school years, Bruinsma started using hashish and later selling it himself. He was arrested for the first time in 1970 at the age of sixteen. In 1974, he opted to forgo attending college in order to dedicate himself to the drug trade full...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

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