A 53-year-old man from the Belgian coastal town, Blankenberge, was sentenced to two years in prison for drug trafficking.
The man, identified as Mario D., sold cannabis and acted as an intermediary for a Dutch criminal network. Prosecutors had called for a 37-month prison sentence.
The case began on 14 May 2023, when maritime police in Ostend caught a man with 4.7 grams of marijuana. The man said he had bought the drugs via the Wickr app from a couple living in Blankenberge. Investigators traced the account ‘mariolutje’ to the defendants.
During a search of the Blankenberge home in December 2023, police seized 500 grams of cannabis, 100 grams of hashish, price lists, two precision scales, and €4,225 in cash.
Further investigation revealed that Mario D. ordered 12 kilograms of cannabis and 400 grams of hashish in the six months before his arrest.
Police also uncovered messages about cannabis pricing, with D. addressing some Wickr communications as ‘dear customers’.
Mario D. confessed that drugs were supplied to him by a Dutch contact known as Mustapha. He said his home acted as a storage space until Mustapha retrieved the cannabis. D. also admitted to selling to around ten regular customers.
The defence argued unsuccessfully that D. had not started dealing drugs until 2023, instead of in 2020. They also requested a suspended sentence or community service, which was rejected by the court.
The judge sentenced D. to two years’ effective imprisonment and imposed a confiscation order of €26,910. The verdict noted D.’s previous convictions for theft and drug-related offences.
His 53-year-old wife was also implicated for occasionally delivering drugs and recording customer names and payments. She received a ten-month suspended prison sentence and a €8,000 fine, with €800 to be paid immediately.
