Seventeen arrests in cross-border drug crackdown
A major police operation coordinated between Belgium and France has resulted in the apprehension of several members of a network accused of smuggling cocaine across Europe.
Seventeen arrests in cross-border drug crackdown
On 9 June, a large-scale operation resulted in the detention of eleven suspects in the Brussels region as part of a drug trafficking investigation with a continental dimension. The information was made public by the Public Prosecutor's Office of the Belgian capital.
Officers of the Brussels Criminal Investigation Division executed these warrants under the direction of an investigating judge in liaison with French magistrates. It should be noted that six of the arrested individuals were also detained on grounds of illegal immigration.
The facts stem from international letters rogatory sent by Paris. This cooperation led to the establishment of a Franco-Belgian joint investigation unit, tasked with dismantling a trafficking network suspected of moving narcotics between Spain and Italy, with France serving as a logistics corridor. A drug courier had been intercepted across the border with a cargo of white powder.
Police officers from Brussels's anti-narcotics unit succeeded in locating individuals based in the metropolis, described as major players in this illicit enterprise. Their work revealed the use of vehicles fitted with hidden compartments and makeshift hiding places to conceal packages during transport along European roads.
During raids on the suspects' homes, law enforcement seized €60,000 in cash, three vehicles, high-end items, and approximately forty mobile phones and various computer equipment. Forged identity documents and suspicious papers were also discovered, justifying the opening of a second investigative line.
The Public Prosecutor's Office noted that several of those implicated had fled the country. Questioning is ongoing and investigations are continuing actively.
Source: BX1
Source: Google News MA — Crime (fr)