On Tuesday, the Public Prosecution Service demanded over 10 years in prison for a man (38) and 10 years for a woman (43) for their role in a large arms cache in Belgium. In October 2020, 21 automatic rifles, handguns, ammunition, and silencers were found in a garage. Both suspects are on the run. They are a brother and sister born in Tilburg without a permanent residence.
The case came to light when two men were arrested on October 5, 2020, in France with a car full of sports bags containing rifles, a pistol, and ammunition. The car was from Belgium and was stopped at the French border by customs. After their arrest, the men stated they had picked up the sports bags from a garage where they saw multiple bags with weapons.
21 rifles
This led French police to the garage in Ravels, Belgium. At the request of French authorities, Belgian police searched the garage and associated home on October 7, 2020. There, a large amount of (automatic) firearms and ammunition was discovered: 21 rifles, 1 automatic pistol, 10 handguns, and 1352 cartridges. The 42-year-old woman was arrested on the spot. Since the suspects are from the Netherlands, the National Investigation and Intervention Unit took over the investigation under the authority of the National Prosecutors Office on July 27, 2021.
“A weapons stock of this magnitude, with this type of firearms, can only be intended for serious violent crimes. The suspects have contributed to maintaining serious crime with the weapons in their possession. This must be strongly countered,” said the prosecutors.
The woman denied knowing about the weapons in her rented garage and home. However, photos of weapons found on her phone prove otherwise. Additionally, the weapons were found in easily accessible locations for her. Since her release from pre-trial detention on December 1, 2020, in Belgium, she has been on the run.
Records
The 38-year-old man has not been found to date. In his bedroom, police found a receipt from Western Union detailing the arms trade. For example, it noted “AK 10x11 = 11000.” It is well-known that ‘AK’ stands for Kalashnikov. His involvement in the arms storage is also evidenced by his DNA found on one of the automatic weapons in the garage.
The Public Prosecution Service demands a prison sentence of 10 years and 8 months for the man and 10 years for the woman.
The court will announce its decision on February 4.