Three years' imprisonment sought for permitting cannabis cultivation in rented building
A resident of Charleroi, Mathieu, was convicted in absentia to three years' imprisonment for allowing a plantation of 420 cannabis plants to be installed in a building he was renting. He is also being prosecuted for electricity theft and forgery. The public prosecutor requested confirmation of the s
Three years' imprisonment sought for permitting cannabis cultivation in rented building
A man in his thirties from Charleroi, named Mathieu, was tried for facilitating the installation of a large cannabis plantation in a building of which he was a tenant. On 30 March, he had already been convicted in absentia to a sentence of three years' imprisonment. He contested this verdict, which resulted in a new trial.
The facts were revealed on 10 January 2025, when the fraud prevention service of ORES reported abnormal electricity consumption in the building in question. Police officers sent to the scene discovered a cannabis cultivation spread across six rooms, totalling 420 plants, according to La DH (dhnet.be).
The owner of the property explained to investigators that he had been renting the building to Mathieu since May 2024 for a monthly sum of 1,000 euros. However, he specified that payment was made in cash by another person, whose accent suggested an origin from Eastern European countries.
During his first interview, Mathieu presented a lease attesting to a sub-letting. He initially claimed not to know that an illicit activity would take place on the premises. During a second interrogation, he acknowledged that the document provided was forged and that he was the sole legal occupant of the building.
Before the magistrate, the accused admitted to receiving money for an activity he knew was illegal, whilst denying having directly participated in the cultivation. He invoked financial difficulties linked to his mother's funeral, valued at 9,000 euros.
The public prosecution, represented by substitute prosecutor Malorgio, requested that the initial conviction be upheld. Given that the defendant was a repeat offender for drug-related offences, the magistrate did not rule out a measure of leniency. The decision will be delivered at the end of June.
Source: DHnet