An investigating judge has placed two men under arrest on suspicion of cocaine trafficking, Ostend police said on Monday, adding that almost 3 kgs of cocaine and more than €42,000 were seized during searches in the coastal city.
The Ostend police’s anti-drug section had been investigating a potential drug dealer for some time. Two searches were carried out on Thursday in the Mariakerke district, during which the police seized no less than 2.87 kgs of cocaine and more than €42,000 in cash. With a market value of around €140,000, this is one of the largest cocaine seizures in Ostend in recent years, according to the police.
During a first search, four men were apprehended. Of these, two looked as if they could be linked to the drug investigation. The two suspects, aged 25 and 32 respectively, were presented to the investigating judge in Bruges, who decided to place them under arrest. The Bruges council chamber will decide on Tuesday whether to keep the suspects in custody.
“Getting tough on drug traffickers is an important point in the management agreement," Ostend Mayor Bart Tommelein commented. "With results like this, we are hitting them where it hurts.”
Police chief Philip Caestecker stressed that the fight against organised drug trafficking will remain the focus of the police force. “The convincing result of this recent investigation does not, however, sound like a victory cry: we will remain focused and fight drug trafficking by all possible means,” he said.
