Seven men, including ex-Antwerp councilor, jailed for drug smuggling

A court in Antwerp has sentenced seven men, including a former city councilor, to prison for their roles in importing an estimated seven tons of narcotics through the port of Antwerp. The drugs, identified as cocaine and hashish, were trafficked between December 2019 and January 2021.

The smuggling operation utilized a 'switch method,' where drugs from international containers were transferred to European ones. This process involved the assistance of a port worker. The investigation gained traction after intercepted communications from the encrypted Sky ECC platform revealed the gang's activities. Authorities later discovered evidence of three additional importations between June and August 2022 from conversations found on a seized mobile phone, indicating the group had moved to the Signal app after Sky ECC was compromised.

The former councilor, who served until 2024, received a four-year sentence, half of which is suspended. He was also fined 32,000 euros and ordered to forfeit 250,000 euros, despite denying involvement in two specific cocaine importations totaling 2.3 tons and 100 kilograms. The court found his guilt proven.

Two alleged leaders of the organization, identified as A.E.M. and M.E.K., received the harshest sentences of eight and seven years in prison, respectively, along with substantial fines of 64,000 and 56,000 euros. A port employee involved in the operation was sentenced to five years, with two years suspended, and a 32,000 euro fine. The remaining three defendants received sentences up to five years, some partially suspended. Immediate arrest warrants were issued for the two main figures, and a total of 1.3 million euros in assets were confiscated.