A 36-year-old man has been arrested in the Flemish Brabant municipality of Lubbeek as a part of an international investigation into the smuggling of large quantities of cocaine into Europe. The man has already been formally arrested by the Leuven Examining Magistrate on suspicion of being a member of an international drug smuggling gang.
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Member of international drugs gang arrested in Flemish Brabant
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At the end of March police raided several addresses in Belgium, The Netherlands and Spain. In Belgium properties were searched in Leuven, Lubbeek, Boutersem (Flemish Brabant), Sint-Agatha-Berchem (Brussels), Antwerp and Rumst (Antwerp Province). Then one man was arrested in Spain.
The gang that was highly professional earned more than 180 million euro from the trade in illegal drugs. The gang was based in the Leuven area, but had operatives in The Netherlands, Spain, South America and Dubai. It imported large quantities of cocaine by sea, but also through airports.
Thanks to its wide network of contacts at various ports the gang was able to import many tonnes of cocaine into Europe that it was able to sell at a huge profit. The gang members used bogus companies and encrypted mobile phones to conceal their illegal activities from the police.
International cooperation
Detectives in Leuven were among those that took part in what was an international investigation. During searches of properties in the Leuven area items including 50,000 euro in cash, a Audi Q3, expensive juwelry, watches and other luxury items were seized. The suspects’ bank accounts have been frozen and two commercial premises and a house in the Netherlands have been confiscated.
The suspect arrested in Lubbeek is 36-years of age. The suspect arrested in Spain is a 33-year-old Spanish-Moroccan dual national.