As Limburg's biggest drug trial entered its second day at the Tongeren Assise Court, prosecutors charged on Tuesday that profits from large-scale drug trafficking were ploughed into real estate and luxury goods.
Tom Bastiaanse, a key suspect in the 'Costa Case,' reportedly purchased three properties in Brazil and a luxury yacht through shell companies in which he held no official role.
Over €800,000 were transferred to Bastiaanse from a company named Vintage Planet, often accompanied by vague messages such as “invoice to follow,” according to the federal prosecutor.
The prosecutor revealed that Bastiaanse and his partner also acquired a small castle in Kasterlee, Antwerp Province, for nearly €1 million through three different companies. Their legal incomes were deemed “far from sufficient” to afford such purchases.
Another suspect, Willy Van Mechelen, invested in gold and had it converted into cash by various individuals. He also reportedly poured cash into an auto body business.
Fellow accused Geert Frisson was noted for spending €750,000 on a Spanish apartment with a swimming pool and €485,000 on two luxury watches in Dubai.
A couple, Rijntjes and De Wolf, were said to have played a pivotal role in Frisson’s organisation. They invested heavily in properties and luxury watches, acquiring eight Spanish properties and at least three Rolex watches, reportedly worth over €400,000.
The accused are among some 50 defendants in the Costa Case, which revolves around the interception by Antwerp Port authorities, in 2018, of a container of timber with over 2,792 kilogrammes of cocaine. The group is suspected of smuggling drugs with an estimated street value of €3.5 billion into Belgium.
The trial, which began in March 2025, resumed on Monday after five postponements.
The prosecution stressed on Tuesday that only a fraction of the illegal proceeds had been traced, and that a significant portion of these illicit earnings remained in the suspects’ hands.
