The trial of an international drug gang, allegedly led by Flor Bressers and Sergio Roberto de Carvalho, will resume on Monday at the Bruges correctional court, following a previous halt due to defence-related incidents.
The investigation started in late 2019, when federal police discovered that the Antwerp-based water purification company Kriva Rochem was allegedly involved in importing cocaine from Brazil. In April 2020, 3.2 tonnes of cocaine were intercepted in manganese ore containers at the Port of Rotterdam. On 17 June of the same year, the 80-year-old owner of Kriva Rochem, along with family members from Knokke-Heist, were arrested.
Authorities later concluded that the seized shipment was only the tip of the iceberg. Information extracted from encrypted phones of certain gang members suggested that several successful cocaine shipments had been carried out beforehand.
In November 2020, Europol revealed that at least 45 tonnes of cocaine had been smuggled through European ports over the span of six months. An international operation led to the arrest of 38 individuals in Brazil, as well as others in Belgium, Spain, and Dubai.
Flor Bressers, a 37-year-old from Limburg, is considered one of the key figures in the organisation. He was detained in Switzerland in February 2022 and has been in custody since. Sergio Roberto de Carvalho, a 65-year-old Brazilian drug lord, is also regarded as a leader within the criminal organisation. He was arrested in Hungary in June 2022 and extradited to Belgium a year later.
In total, 31 suspects have been referred to the Bruges correctional court. These include Bressers’ associates, his girlfriend, and former lawyer Pol Vandemeulebroucke, who is accused of sharing confidential case files with Bressers while the latter was evading arrest.
Another lawyer, Cem Polat from the Netherlands, is also under scrutiny for alleged participation in the criminal organisation. He reportedly shared confidential information, including Dutch investigation reports, on three separate occasions. While Polat was initially cleared by the Bruges chamber, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office appealed the decision, and the Ghent indictment chamber decided to proceed with his case.
The trial has faced significant delays due to multiple legal challenges. In October 2024, Bressers’ lawyer, Hans Rieder, attempted to have the three judges recused, but the request was denied. In January 2025, Rieder argued that the Bruges court lacked jurisdiction, which led to further procedural debates.
Although neither a clear ruling on jurisdiction nor a merger of the issue with the main case occurred, the court issued an interim judgment affirming the trial’s start date as 15 September 2025. Various legal parties interpret this as a de facto recognition of the court’s jurisdiction.
The first day of hearings tackled issues surrounding a CD-ROM submitted by the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office that morning. While Rieder contested it as new evidence, the prosecution argued it was merely a replacement for a damaged copy.
On 18 September, chaos erupted in the courtroom when a lawyer for one of the accused was denied the opportunity to speak. As tensions escalated, the presiding judge ordered the police to remove two defence attorneys from the room, sparking outrage.
Following the violent incidents, defence lawyers filed 11 recusal requests, which were all rejected by the Ghent Court of Appeal. Further appeals to the Court of Cassation were also dismissed, allowing the trial to proceed this Monday amidst concerns of potential further disruptions.
