'M.J.', a criminal who escaped Bruges prison in a helicopter in 2009, has been sentenced to 40 months in prison for cocaine trafficking and an additional year for possession of firearms.
Officials were alerted to these crimes when encrypted Sky ECC messages were exposed. The message revealed the individual's involvement in cocaine shipments and coordinated pick-ups at the Port of Antwerp.
M.J. already had a criminal record, most notably for being broken out of Bruges prison in 2009 when his accomplice Ashraf Sekkaki (known as the "king of escapes") picked him up in a helicopter.
M.J. and Sekkaki were arrested in Morocco, where Sekkaki is still imprisoned.
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On this occasion, M.J.'s younger brother O.J. also received a five-year prison sentence. The court has ordered his immediate arrest.
A third defendant, M.O., who had previous convictions for similar offences, was given an extra year in prison.
The court also imposed heavy property confiscations, including €1.25 million from O.J., €437,500 from M.O. and €50,000 from M.J.
In March 2021, O.J. sold 35 packs of cocaine to M.O. for €958,750, with M.J. handling the delivery and payment. That same month, O.J. sold 30 more packs to an unidentified individual for €810,000, with M.J. again involved in the transaction.
On 27 June 2023, police searched M.J.’s home, finding a firearm, an iPhone, and a Rolex watch valued at €7,000.
