The main defendants in the high-profile Costa drug trial have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 14 years. Sentences were passed by a court in the eastern city of Tongeren (Limburg) on Thursday morning. The sentences are severe, but less than what was sought by the prosecution. The verdict is subject to appeal.
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Stiff sentences for defendants as 'never-ending' Costa drug trial concludes
Colin Clapson
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The harshest sentence was handed down to the Dutch drug baron ‘Bolle’ Jos Leijdekkers. He has been sentenced to 14 years in prison. Leijdekkers was not present at the trial; he remains at large and is thought to be in hiding in Africa. He was sentenced in absentia. The Dutchman has previously stood trial in other drug cases and has already accumulated decades of prison sentences.
Geert Frisson, a former member of a motorbike gang, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. Former police officer Willy Van Mechelen and his business partner Tom Bastiaanse have been sentenced to 9 and 12 years in prison respectively.
The sentences are considerably lower than those sought by the prosecutor. Earlier this year, the prosecutor had sought prison sentences of up to 20 years. However, the judge acquitted the defendants on certain counts and took into account the fact that a reasonable time limit was often exceeded. The entire proceedings and trial have been ongoing for several years. The trial itself was also delayed on several occasions due to challenges to the judges’ impartiality.
This was a massive drug case. The court’s judgement runs to several hundred pages. A total of 56 defendants were on trial, including several companies.
In addition to prison sentences, fines have also been imposed, and the court has ordered the forfeiture of millions of euros in suspected proceeds from drug trafficking, on top of building land, movable property and weapons seized.
What was the Costa trial about?
The Costa case centres on various criminal organisations which, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, joined forces to organise multiple cocaine shipments via the port of Antwerp. In this way, tonnes of drugs worth roughly 3.5 billion euros are alleged to have been smuggled into the country.
The name ‘Costa’ refers to Costa Rica, where the first intercepted shipment originated.
More than 50 defendants and several companies appeared before the court in Tongeren to answer charges. Among them are some well-known names, such as former police officer Willy Van Mechelen, Geert Frisson – a former member of the Bandidos Benelux motorbike gang – and the Dutch drug trafficker ‘Bolle’ Jos Leijdekkers. The latter has been missing without trace for years. Leijdekkers is believed to be in Sierra Leone in West Africa.