The Antwerp Correctional Court sentenced Frank "De Tank" V. to seven years in prison on Friday for his involvement in a drug trafficking ring that imported two tonnes of cocaine into Belgium.
The prosecution had demanded a 15-year sentence for V., and €1.9 million was confiscated from him.
Sixteen co-defendants received prison sentences of up to six years. Most of the sentences were (partly) suspended. The court took into account that the reasonable time limit had been exceeded, which was reflected in the severity of the sentences.
A total of €4 million in criminal assets was confiscated from them. Three defendants were found guilty as charged, while four others were acquitted.
Frank V., a former dock worker and doorman, coordinated thefts in 2015 and 2016 on behalf of Ermir 'Cinco' N. (43) and 'Dikke' Nordin E.H. (37), whose case was separated and will be heard in November. A total of approximately 2.2 tonnes of cocaine was imported.
During the investigation, Frank V. made confessions, mainly about his own role and without mentioning or confirming the names of the other people involved. After an attack on his home in 2017, he did reveal some names, including that of Ermir N.
When the trial first started in February 2022, the public prosecutor's office "rewarded" him for his cooperation with a demand for “only” nine years in prison.
After the demand, the trial was suspended for more than three years due to, among other things, two challenges by the lawyers of Nordin E.H., which were repeatedly declared unfounded by the court of appeal.
In April, the case was finally ready to be heard, but shortly before the trial began, Frank V. withdrew his previous statements about the people he had worked with. He said he had been pressured to name people who were being investigated but who were not actually involved.
The public prosecutor spoke of a "coup de théâtre" by Frank V. and demanded fifteen years in prison - the same sentence as for the instigator Ermir N. On Friday, the court sentenced 'Frank the Tank' to seven years in prison and Ermir N. to six years in prison. Immediate arrest was also ordered for the latter.
