2023-06-05 09:19:00
As part of a case of international cocaine trafficking, opened by the federal prosecutor’s office and led by an investigating judge from Liège, eleven searches took place this morning on Belgian territory. These are mainly the municipalities of Ixelles, Liège, Ans, Grâce-Hollogne and Anvers.
Eight people wanted in connection with suspected drug trafficking were arrested during the operation. They are currently being heard by the Federal Judicial Police of Liège, who initiated the case, and will eventually be presented to the investigating judge who will decide, within 48 hours of their arrest, on any charges and placements under a warrant. stop. The following were seized during this operation: a handgun, five kilos of cocaine and €30,000 in cash.
The charges retained, at this stage, are drug trafficking in association and criminal organization. At the same time, the investigating judge issued a European arrest warrant against a suspect in this case who was arrested this morning by the German police. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office will continue the procedure for the surrender of this person to Belgium.
This case is part of an investigation going back several years, with apparent connections to the Italian mafia ‘Ndrangheta. Already in 2015, the Guardia di Finanza de Catanzaro had launched Operation Gentleman, leading to the arrest of 33 people, members of a mafia clan. The Italian investigation revealed extensive drug trafficking, including cocaine, from South America. After three years on the run, the chief of the clan was arrested in Frankfurt.
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