A man has been sentenced to six years in prison by the Namur criminal court for his involvement in a violent kidnapping case linked to heroin trafficking.
The events occurred on 27 December 2024. Four defendants stood accused of robbery, attempted extortion, arbitrary detention, degrading treatment, making threats, and selling drugs.
They lured five vulnerable heroin users into an apartment by promising drugs but substituted the heroin with Nesquik powder. Their aim was to extort the victims’ social benefits.
One victim was severely beaten with a hammer and struck multiple times with a bicycle seat. The attackers tied him up with tape and cable ties. Some victims managed to escape through the door or by climbing off the balcony.
The group’s leader, described as unstable, violent, and controlling, was found guilty of all charges except drug trafficking. He received a six-year prison sentence.
His main accomplice, a drug addict for 15 years, was sentenced to four years, with the excess of his preventive detention suspended for five years. A third defendant, absent during the trial and with ten prior convictions, was given a four-year prison sentence without suspension.
The apartment tenant, who allowed the space to be used for the operation in exchange for daily drug doses, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and an €8,000 fine. Both the prison term and the fine are partially suspended, for four and three years respectively.
