Five individuals were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 30 months to five years for their role in trafficking nearly five tonnes of cocaine through the Port of Zeebrugge.
On 28 February 2023, Belgium’s federal judicial police received intelligence about a ship carrying large quantities of cocaine from Latin America to Zeebrugge.
That evening, customs officials discovered sports bags containing 4,932 kilograms of cocaine in a refrigerated container filled with fruit.
The street value of the drugs was estimated at €250 million.
Around 11:40 pm, approximately ten individuals dressed in dark clothing approached the container. One suspect, Jude B., a 23-year-old Dutchman, was apprehended at the dock.
His compatriots, Jady M. (22), Selim Y. (23), and Elghen W. (27), initially fled but were later captured after climbing over a fence.
Later that night, police intercepted a Dutch-registered Opel Astra in the harbour area. The driver stated she had been asked by her boyfriend, Christopher M. (26), to pick him up.
Prosecutors asserted that the Dutch nationals had been hired as "extractors" by a drug gang and transported to Zeebrugge by Redouan E. (39), a man from Aartselaar. E. claimed he was coerced into participating.
The prosecution requested five-year prison sentences for all defendants. Defence lawyers argued for acquittal or dismissal of the charges.
The court sentenced Elghen W. to four years in prison, while Jude B., Jady M., and Selim Y. received 40-month sentences. Redouan E. was given a 30-month sentence, and Christopher M. was acquitted.
