A court in Antwerp has sentenced Youssef B.A. to 15 years in prison and fined him €120,000 for importing 15.2 tonnes of cocaine via the Port of Antwerp.
Prosecutors say the 37-year-old, who had emigrated to Dubai, is one of Belgium’s biggest drug lords. Authorities have also confiscated criminal assets worth €31 million.
The case was cracked thanks to intercepted communications on the secure messaging app Sky ECC. The intercepts revealed that Youssef B.A., known as "Elite Turbo" and "Monte-Cristo", was running a criminal organisation from Dubai.
The intercepted messages led to six seizures, including one of a ten-tonne shipment of cocaine.
Between January and November 2020, at least 15,220 kilograms of cocaine were imported, with a market value estimated at over €400 million.
The drugs were hidden in containers, retrieved at the Port of Antwerp, and transported to warehouses. The cocaine blocks were then removed and taken to hideouts, where they were stored.
Youssef B.A. profited significantly from this trafficking. Prosecutors estimate he earned over €30 million, which was laundered through luxury watch sales and real estate investments.
Ten family members and associates were also sentenced to prison terms of up to six years and fined up to €48,000. The court additionally ordered the confiscation of over €1.1 million in criminal assets.
