More than a hundred house searches for cocaine gang in Brussels
The federal police are again protecting a large-scale action against an organization involved in the federal import of cocaine today. The action mainly took place in Brussels. More than a hundred house searches took place.
The house searches mainly located in the Brussels Region, but also and especially in the Antwerp region, in Walloon Brabant and at some locations in Flanders and Wallonia, more precisely the federal prosecutor’s office in a communication. A feeling follows at 4.30 pm.
It was already the third mega operation that the federal prosecutor is setting up against the organized drug world this year. The court wants to round up an Albanian network of drug criminals that specializes in the import and international distribution of cocaine and other narcotics. The detectives’ wish list contained the names of more than eighty suspects.
At the beginning of this year, the focus of the first research was in and around the port of Antwerp. Good for 200 house searches, 50 arrests and the seizure of, among other things, 17 tons of cocaine. Yesterday, another ten suspects were arrested in Antwerp. Six of them worked in the port. Among the suspects is a brother of Othman EB, the drug lord who lives in hiding in Dubai.
More than a week ago, the epicenter was in Liège. There too, dozens of searches were carried out, value of around 80 million euros, luxury goods, weapons and money were seized and 28 suspects were arrested. The operation also dismantled drug labs and packaging facilities, including preparing cocaine for street trafficking.
As previous anti-drug operations continue Tuesday morning’s action, investigators have managed to crack the Sky ECC network, a system widely distributed among drug offenders. the detectives can listen in and read what the drug mafia is planning.
Yet every time a long time action the investigators also go to the can. “You can receive those messages and understand them, but you also have to map out who is sending them to whom and where the trade actually takes place,” the court said. For the case in Liège, for example, about three years ago the court was ready to intervene. The file in which the action is being taken today has taken about two years of in-depth research.
Albanian network
It is no wonder that an Albanian network is being targeted. Albanian drug cops have been taking the drug trade in Europe by storm for several years now. They thereby join the importation of cocaine plantations. A few weeks ago, at the request of the Halle-Vilvoorde park, the police rolled up a few large cannabis plantations that had been planted by Albanians.