A Belgian court sentenced dozens of individuals on Tuesday in one of the country’s largest drug trials, with ringleaders receiving sentences of up to 17 years.
More than 120 defendants from Belgium, Albania, Colombia, and North Africa were implicated in a multinational cocaine and cannabis trafficking operation that was uncovered through investigations into encrypted messaging apps.
Judges handed down sentences totaling over 700 years, highlighting Belgium’s position as a major gateway for drug trafficking in Europe. Only nine defendants were acquitted, while many others received prison terms ranging from several months to over 15 years.
“It is an extremely harsh judgment,” commented Gilles Vanderbeck, a lawyer for one of the alleged ringleaders, pointing out the low number of exonerations and suspended sentences. His client, Abdelwahab Guerni from Algeria, was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
Guerni, along with two dozen others, was escorted into a Brussels courtroom—formerly the headquarters of NATO—handcuffed and facing a line of police officers as judges read the lengthy verdicts. Some accused who had been released on bail also attended to hear their fates.
Another suspected leader, Albanian Eridan Munoz Guerrero, received a 14-year sentence. Munoz Guerrero, who admitted his guilt at the trial’s start, acknowledged, “Your honour, I played, I lost.” His lawyer described the verdict as “fair,” emphasizing that it reflected his cooperation with authorities.
The trafficking ring, active from 2017 until late 2022, involved various criminal organizations and was dismantled following coordinated police raids in Belgium, Germany, and Italy. Prosecutors sought jail terms of up to 20 years for some defendants, revealing that drugs were smuggled in containers from South America and Morocco, primarily through Belgium’s major port in Antwerp, and then distributed across Europe.
This case relied heavily on evidence obtained from encrypted messaging platforms Sky ECC and EncroChat, which the gangs used to communicate. By cracking these tools, police gained insight into the planning and execution of the drug smuggling operations.
Belgian authorities presented the trial as a significant blow to drug trafficking organizations. However, some defense lawyers criticized it as a “publicity stunt,” claiming prosecutors had combined unrelated cases into a single, sensational trial. Vanderbeck noted that the consolidated trial likely inflated the severity of the sentences.
Prosecutors maintained that there was a clear structure and hierarchy among the involved criminal groups, with established illegal commercial connections.
The judgment, originally expected on September 2, was delayed due to an objection from one defendant. Some lawyers indicated they might appeal but first needed to review the lengthy judgment, which exceeded 1,000 pages.
