More than 350 police officers were mobilized to arrest the suspects, “some of whom were potentially dangerous,” the Belgian authorities said in a statement, noting that several companies were also searched.
Belgian police announced today that 22 people, including three police officers, have been arrested as part of a major operation to crack down on drug-trafficking rings.
During the operation, which focused on the Brussels and Antwerp areas, “money and luxury vehicles” were seized, among other things. More than 350 police officers were mobilized to arrest the suspects, “some of whom were potentially dangerous,” the Belgian authorities said in a statement, noting that several companies were also searched.
Investigators were able to decipher numerous messages sent by members of the ring through the Sky ECC app. The revelation about the “importation of cocaine through the port of Antwerp” stood out, and the Belgian police announced that “some of those involved were allegedly planning to transport cocaine to England by helicopter”.
In December, the trial of approximately 120 defendants for involvement in international cocaine and cannabis trafficking rings began in Brussels, the disclosure of which is also related to the decryption of messages sent through the Encrochat and Sky ECC services.
In recent years, drug seizures have broken one record after another in the port of Antwerp, which has emerged as the main European gateway for cocaine produced in Latin American countries.
Source :Skai
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