A 45-year-old Turkish national faces a potential 15-year prison sentence in a Bruges court for alleged involvement in human smuggling operations.
Adem S. is accused of supplying rubber boats and other nautical equipment to human smugglers for a decade. Prosecutors are also seeking a €1.2 million fine and the confiscation of €1.7 million in assets.
Since late 2019, authorities in West Flanders have discovered vehicles carrying boats, outboard motors, and life jackets. Many accomplices of smuggling gangs were apprehended, primarily near the western coast. Investigations revealed that the vehicles were often en route from Germany to northern France.
Over 40 separate judicial inquiries helped police map out a significant human smuggling network. The Kurdish ringleader, Hewa R., was arrested in London in May 2022 and later sentenced to 13 years in prison in January 2025 by the Ghent Appeals Court. Key players in Germany received sentences ranging from six to twelve years.
Phone records led investigators to Adem S., who operated a boat supply business in Istanbul. Authorities allege he provided rubber boats, life jackets, outboard motors, and other materials to the smuggling organisation.
Evidence includes conversations with Hewa R. and his associates, photos of boats, and a payment receipt of over $100,000 via hawala banking. In December 2021, Hewa R. sent him an article about a tragic crossing with 27 deaths, to which S. reportedly responded with warnings about stricter UK migration policies.
Adem S. was arrested on 13 November 2024 at Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands, where he had travelled for a boat trade fair. Analysis of his phone revealed active participation in multiple chat groups about nautical equipment.
Prosecutor Jinmin Arnou cited communications where S. requested large boats specifically for transporting refugees. S. allegedly boasted about supplying 1,000 outboard motors for the European refugee market and referred to himself as "the king of transport and export."
He is also accused of interactions with corrupt Turkish police officers, whom he reportedly provided perks such as luxury trips, although the extent of these exchanges remains unclear.
On Wednesday morning, Adem S. appeared in court alongside three co-defendants: Ahmet T. (46), Mohammed S. (49), and Fakhir R. (42). These individuals allegedly supplied nautical equipment on a smaller scale, according to testimony from convicted human smugglers.
Prosecutors are demanding sentences of up to 13 years and fines of €800,000 for the co-defendants. For Adem S., the prosecution is seeking the maximum sentence—15 years in prison and a €1.2 million fine—along with confiscation of €1.77 million in assets, citing his monthly earnings of €15,000 and his ownership of property, farmland, and luxury cars in Turkey.
The defence acknowledged guilt but argued for leniency, asserting that other smugglers received lighter sentences. Defence lawyer Kris Vincke claimed that prosecutors are inappropriately pursuing his client for the period from 2015 to 2021, based solely on a single message where S. said he "sold too much to refugees" in 2015. Vincke argued that S. only began supplying smugglers in August 2021.
The defence detailed S.'s business history, stating he started a fishing supply shop in 2005, which later expanded into a wholesale nautical supply company in 2018. It emphasised his legitimate sales to the tourism sector and claimed smuggling-related earnings totalled no more than €100,000.
Vincke also highlighted the lighter sentences given to Hewa R. and other key players in the smuggling operation and proposed a five-year sentence, possibly partially suspended. He noted that S. has no prior criminal record and has already spent over a year in pre-trial detention.
The defence also argued that Mohammed S. was considered the actual leader of the operation by some smuggling associates, while Adem S. allegedly viewed Fakhir R. as a competitor offering lower-quality boats at cheaper prices.
In his final statement, Adem S. denied being part of a criminal organisation. He described himself as a hard-working businessman who inadvertently became involved with human smugglers. Initially, he thought the equipment was for fishing activities. S. admitted to being reckless once he realised the true purpose and expressed deep regret, stating, "I have never personally smuggled people."
The court is set to deliver its ruling on 7 January.
This story was updated.
