Eleven men on trial for large-scale drug trafficking from Belgium to UK
Eleven men appeared in court in Kortrijk on Wednesday for their part in a large-scale drug trafficking operation from Belgium and the Netherlands to the UK. During the investigation, 21 million euros worth of drugs were found in an Airbnb in Belgium.
The gang packed the drugs into Ikea boxes and loaded them into lorries on their way to the UK. The investigation was launched after an anonymous phone call to police. In a car park near Kortrijk, boxes were transferred from a rented van to a lorry with English number plates.
The boxes were found to contain 11kg of cocaine. The van led investigators to an Airbnb in the municipality of Staden, where 117kg of cocaine, 63kg of heroin and 480kg of ketamine were found. The drugs had a street value of around 21 million euros.
Drug lord's diary
Investigators discovered that at least 10 previous shipments had taken place. According to the prosecutor, defendant Ronald C headed the ring's operations on the European continent.
"The first defendant's mobile phone reads like a drug lord's diary," the prosecutor said. "There was a lot of back and forth about purity levels and quantities. He was also prospecting in Latin America and looking for possible ways to smuggle drugs. He was paid handsomely for each transport."
Ronald C faces 10 years in prison and a fine of 10,000 euros. He pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, but his lawyer said he was "nowhere near the big kingpin the prosecution is trying to make him out to be".
Up to 10 years' jail
Defendant Matthew Q is alleged to have run the operation from overseas. He also faces 10 years in prison and a 20,000 euro fine. A third defendant, who directed the trucks through his recently deceased grandfather's company, faces seven years in prison.
Two other defendants remain in custody in Wales and face four years in prison each. They were caught in Dover with 3kg of cocaine and 4kg of ketamine. "Presumably this was their reward for escorting the lorries," said the prosecutor. The other accomplices on trial face sentences of between one and six years.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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