A Dutch man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and a €200,000 fine over an attempt to smuggle drugs via the port of Antwerp in 2020. In the process, a security guard was severely beaten. A second man from Limburg received a two-year sentence for his role in the offences.
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‘Most wanted’ man given 10 years in jail for assault and failed drug smuggling at Antwerp port
Sally Tipper
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A verdict was delivered on Thursday at Antwerp District Court against 30 defendants on trial in the case known as Dossier-Zwemmer.
The key figure in the case, Jos Leijdekkers, known by the nickname “Bolle Jos”, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a fine of €200,000. Criminal assets of €4.7 million were forfeited and the judge ordered his immediate arrest. Because Leijdekkers has been untraceable for years, he was convicted in absentia. He has been on Europol’s most wanted list since May 2022.
The events in question took place on 25 August 2020. The guard was in his car on the shore. A gang of drug dealers, who were targeting a batch of cocaine in a nearby refrigerated container, dragged him from his car and assaulted him.
The man escaped by jumping into the harbour dock, where he remained for about 45 minutes, before hiding behind a container ship. He was eventually rescued by the ship’s crew and raised the alarm. When police arrived, the suspects fled, leaving behind nearly 500kg of cocaine.
An investigation was launched but there was no breakthrough until messages were intercepted in the Sky ECC investigation into organised crime a few months later. Police raided more than 20 addresses in Belgium and the Netherlands and arrested dozens of suspects.
The trial started in May this year, with 30 defendants facing charges including importation of narcotics, assault, violations of gun laws and participation in a criminal organisation. On Thursday, four years after the incident, the verdicts were handed down.
26 others convicted
The court found that Leijdekkers had ordered the guard to be knocked unconscious, tied up and locked in a container until the gang retrieved the drugs from the refrigerated container. An earlier plan involved hijacking the truck coming to pick up the container. The gang had been given the green light to shoot the driver if he defended himself.
In parallel, the 33-year-old was arranging the removal of a consignment of 300kg of cocaine. That was successfully smuggled out of the port.
A total of 26 others were convicted, including Flor Bressers, 37, from Limburg. He received two years in prison and a €20,000 fine after he was found to have provided a weapon, fake licence plates and a car.