Local police in Antwerp have apprehended two fugitive criminals, a drug trafficker and a man wanted internationally for violent crimes.
In the first case, a 40-year-old man from Deurne was arrested on Wednesday by the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT).
The day before, the Mechelen Correctional Court had sentenced him to four years in prison for drug-related offences and involvement in a criminal organisation.
The man had been absent from his trial, prompting the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office to issue a warrant for his arrest. The RIT located and nabbed him in Antwerp on the same day, and the court ordered his immediate detention for fear that he might run away again.
He was later transferred to Antwerp Prison to serve his sentence.
In the second case, a 25-year-old man of Surinamese origin was extradited to Belgium thanks to international cooperation.
He had previously been convicted by the Antwerp Correctional Court for crimes including abduction, attempted extortion with violence, and armed robbery as part of an organised group.
Since 2022, the man had no official residence in Belgium and was sought both nationally and internationally.
Antwerp police issued a search notice for him, and he was arrested in the Netherlands on 14 January.
An Amsterdam court approved his extradition on 26 March, and he was handed over to Belgian authorities on Thursday.
