The Federal Judicial Police (PJP) of Limburg conducted a large-scale operation resulting in 11 arrests and the seizure of at least 65 firearms, as reported by the Limburg Public Prosecutor’s Office on Friday.
The operation included 20 raids targeting the homes of alleged members of a criminal network.
Searches were carried out on Friday afternoon in Heusden-Zolder, Beverloo, and Genk. The Limburg PJP received support from federal special police units, other federal judicial services, and local police zones including Heusden-Zolder, Beringen-Ham-Tessenderlo, and Carma (which covers Genk, As, Oudsbergen, Houthalen-Helchteren, Bree, Bocholt, Kinrooi).
In addition to seizing firearms and a substantial amount of cash, police discovered a synthetic drug production lab and a warehouse containing illegal cigarettes in Beverloo, Beringen, located in the province of Limburg.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the network mainly consisted of young members involved in international arms trafficking. They dealt in light weapons and military-grade arms, such as machine guns and grenade launchers, often using apps like Telegram and Snapchat.
Months of in-depth investigations, overseen by an investigating judge in Hasselt, enabled detectives to identify the network’s organisers, their accomplices, and clients. Branches of this network have also been identified in several European countries.
