Public Prosecution Service demands 16 years imprisonment for suspect in international drug trafficking and shootings and explosions at homes in Antwerp

News report | 19-01-2026 | 16:25

The investigation
The man was caught because Sky-ECC, which he used to communicate about his criminal activities, was hacked. Thanks to this hack, the authorities obtained a lot of information, countless messages between criminals mainly about criminal activities. Thus, the 31-year-old man emerged in an investigation by the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee under the leadership of the Public Prosecution Service, after which he was finally arrested on Monday, April 1, 2024. He had five Sky accounts. The messages from these accounts are visible over the period from August 15, 2019 to March 8, 2021.
The messages show that the man was involved in multiple international drug transports, which took place among others via Schiphol and Maastricht Aachen Airport, smuggling hundreds of kilos of cocaine into the Netherlands. 
In addition, the man is considered by the Public Prosecution Service to be guilty of shooting and causing an explosion at several homes in Antwerp. 

Severity of the facts
The public prosecutor noted at the hearing that the suspect has been guilty of international drug trafficking for a long period. He had a leading role in this.
‘The suspect’s actions have caused major social consequences. Cocaine disrupts society in many ways. Drugs pose a health risk to users and addicted users often commit crimes. It is well known that international trafficking in hard drugs is accompanied by various forms of serious crime,’ said the public prosecutor at the hearing.  
The public prosecutor also explained that drug crime causes a hardened climate. ‘Violence is not shunned and this hardening is also felt in society. This is also evident in this case in which the suspect is involved in serious violent incidents such as shooting and causing an explosion with a hand grenade at homes in Antwerp.’
These kinds of actions cause feelings of insecurity among residents and neighbors.
The investigation shows that the actions were aimed at persons held responsible for the failure of a shipment of narcotics and their family members. The suspect apparently did not care that people could be injured and houses damaged. He only thought of his own financial interest and his status in the criminal milieu.
In view of the seriousness of the facts, multiple smuggling of very large quantities of cocaine and the serious violence that has taken place within organized crime, the Public Prosecution Service considers a long prison sentence of sixteen years appropriate. The suspect himself either invokes his right to remain silent or downplays his role. Intercepted messages in which the man himself states ‘to have 2000 kilos in Suriname and that he receives 500 kilos there every week’ tell a different story.  
The man earned money by importing large quantities of cocaine. A financial investigator concluded an unlawfully obtained benefit of €17,080,250.78. According to the Public Prosecution Service, this amount must be confiscated.