Federal judicial police have arrested five suspects in connection with an investigation into drug smuggling via Brussels Airport. Two baggage handlers, who were also working on behalf of a drug gang were caught red-handed when they removed several suitcases filled with cocaine from a plane.
Police officers at Brussels Airport had had the two airport employees in their sights for some time. "The investigation showed that the two men were part of a criminal organisation involved in smuggling drugs from Africa," says Carol Vercarre of Halle-Vilvoorde public prosecutors. "The gang always operated in the same way. Several suitcases containing drugs were hidden among the luggage on flights from the Gambian capital Banjul. Two airport employees were responsible for removing these suitcases from the plane. One would take the suitcases away and hand them over to other members of the gang outside the airport building."
Last Tuesday, another flight from Banjul landed and was closely monitored by federal judicial police officers. Although the two employees under suspicion were not scheduled to work at that hour, both were present at the airport when the flight from Banjul landed at Zaventem," Vercarre says. "They retrieved several suitcases from the plane. One of the two then left the airport with the suitcases. After travelling for only a few kilometres, he was met by three cars and the suitcases were loaded into these cars. At that point, the police decided to intervene. Three suitcases with a total of about 120 kilograms of cocaine and a street value of six million euros were found."
Large sums of cash
Five suspects were eventually arrested. In a series of subsequent house searches, police also seized large sums of cash. The five suspects appeared before an examining magistrate, who placed them under arrest. "Four of the five hold Belgian nationality, the fifth is Surinamese. The suspects arrested live in Vilvoorde, Brussels, Mechelen and Antwerp."
According to the public prosecutor, the gang's MO is a typical example of airport crime, when airport employees or airport companies are enlisted for criminal activities on or via the airport. "Tackling this phenomenon is one of the absolute priorities of the new security plan for Brussels Airport and this successful operation is the result of the close cooperation between the security services and the airport operator” Vercarre concludes.