Gang dismantled that uses holiday homes to produce drugs … (Kalmthout)
Antwerp’s federal judicial police this week dismantled a British organization allegedly involved in international and signed drug trafficking. The gang used vacation homes rented through Airbnb or Booking.com to store drugs.
The group of criminals would come from Great Britain and would have large loads via the port of Antwerp. “It is striking that they used homes that were rented out through Airbnb or Booking.com. Those homes were used as a temporary base and storage place for the cocaine loads,” says Kristof Aerts, of the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The drug department of the federal judicial police (fgp) Antwerp carried out several house searches this week on behalf of the investigating judge. “In a rented building in Kalmthout, the investigators were able to intercept approximately 580 kilograms of cocaine. In a rental apartment Sint-Niklaas, she found 98 taped packs of cocaine ready in travel suitcases,” Aerts said.
With the help of the local police zones Grens and Sint-Niklaas, the fgp was able to arrest six British men from the London region. “The men are between 25 and 43 years old and were brought before the examining magistrate after being interviewed,” Aerts said. The council chamber confirmed Friday the arrest of five of them. The suspect is coming on Tuesday. The judicial investigation continues.
jtp