In Belgium’s largest-ever drug trial, dozens of defendants were handed lengthy prison sentences for their roles in a multinational cocaine and cannabis trafficking operation. The trial, held on Tuesday, saw key figures in the network sentenced to up to 17 years in prison.
The 120+ defendants, hailing from Belgium, Albania, Colombia, and North Africa, were accused of being part of a vast trafficking enterprise that spanned multiple continents. The investigation was propelled by the cracking of encrypted messaging apps such as Sky ECC and EncroChat, which allowed authorities to infiltrate the gangs’ operations.
Among those sentenced were ringleaders Abdelwahab Guerni from Algeria and Eridan Munoz Guerrero from Albania. Guerni received a 17-year sentence, while Munoz Guerrero was handed 14 years. Munoz Guerrero had pleaded guilty earlier, admitting his involvement in running cocaine laboratories in Belgium.
The drug trafficking network, active from 2017 to 2022, smuggled large quantities of cocaine from South America and Morocco through ports in Belgium, notably Antwerp, as well as other European ports, before distributing it across the continent. The port of Antwerp alone set a record in 2023 with the seizure of 116 tons of cocaine.
The trial follows a major international operation in which authorities across eight countries arrested 50 people involved in smuggling Latin American cocaine into Europe. The same period also saw a historic cocaine bust in Paraguay, where over 4 tons of the drug were found hidden in a sugar shipment bound for Belgium.
Despite the successful dismantling of the drug network, defense lawyers criticized the trial, claiming the prosecution had linked unrelated cases to create an eye-catching spectacle. Prosecutors, however, maintained that the criminal groups shared clear connections and operated within a structured hierarchy.
While some suspects were acquitted, many others received sentences ranging from a few months to over a decade in prison. This trial marks a significant blow against drug smuggling in Europe.
