The wanted Antwerp drug boss Othman E.B. has been arrested in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates at the request of the Belgian court, Belgian media report based on several sources.
Neither the Antwerp Public Prosecutor nor outgoing Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt's (Open VLD) office would or could confirm news of the arrest.
Hoping to escape the reach of Belgian justice, Othman E.B. had reportedly been staying in Dubai for years, Het Laatste Nieuws reports. He was recently sentenced to seven years in jail in Antwerp for importing cocaine. He also risks a 20-year prison sentence for another drug case that will be heard next week.
Several extradition warrants are pending against Othman E.B. across Belgium, as well as against his younger brother Younes. The two brothers are high on the list of "high-value targets" allegedly residing in the United Arab Emirates.
E.B. is the uncle of 11-year-old girl, Firdaous, who was killed in an attack in Antwerp early last year.
