Police have rounded up a large cocaine gang operating in Belgium. The smugglers brought the drugs into the country from Ghana and the Dominican Republic through Brussels Airport. Via the port of Antwerp, the drugs were then dispatched abroad. Some of the suspects met regularly in a shisha bar in Vilvoorde (Flemish Brabant) to discuss their dealings.
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Cocaine gang smuggling through Brussels Airport and port of Antwerp busted
Colin Clapson
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Yesterday, Halle-Vilvoorde Federal Judicial Police carried out raids on 21 properties across the country. The house searches come after an extensive investigation into the gang of cocaine smugglers. As has been the case in many recent major drug busts, the hacking by police of encrypted messaging service Sky ECC often used by OCGs (organised criminal groups) played a crucial role.
In the encrypted conversations, police found information about cocaine smuggling through Zaventem airport and the port of Antwerp. The drugs arrived via cargo flights, mainly from Ghana and the Dominican Republic. Via the port of Antwerp, the gang shipped the drugs on cargo ships. Some of the suspects met regularly in a shisha bar in Vilvoorde.
Digging in garden for money
The investigation mapped out the structure and operations of the criminal organisation. The police were thus able to arrest 14 people, 12 of whom were arraigned before an investigating judge. Some 120 bank accounts were also seized, about 105,000 euros in cash, luxury watches, a firearm, about 30 bottles of nitrous oxide and 2 vehicles were also impounded. During one of the searches, police had to dig in a garden in search of buried cash.
It is already the third time this year that a criminal organisation active in cocaine smuggling through Zaventem airport has been busted.