Two Colombian brothers, Jefferson and Yeison M.M., detailed their experience of being recruited into a cocaine production operation in Belgium.
Facing trial at the Brussels Criminal Court on Tuesday, both admitted to the drug-related offences while addressing the court in Spanish with the aid of an interpreter.
The brothers claimed to have arrived in Belgium with a third defendant, Miguel C., through a contact of Yeison M.M. They were guided to "Toni" – an alias for a man named Fjodor K., who is also involved in the case, who subsequently offered them a job without specifying its nature.
After losing his previous job due to health problems, Yeison M.M. jumped at the opportunity to work in Belgium and asked his also unemployed brother to come and work with him.
Key duties involved filling containers with liquid for easy transport and cleaning the location where they worked. Yeison M.M. quickly identified the site as a cocaine lab, unlike his brother, who insists he did not suspect anything.
The judge asked why they didn’t leave. On being asked if they were under any pressure, Yeison M.M. retorted, "No pressure. I stayed because I needed the money."
The brothers spent their free time secluded in an apartment, from where Fjodor K. would transport them to their workplace.
Yeison M.M. admitted receiving €6,600 to be split between him, his brother, and Miguel C. He also revealed he kept €1,600 to reimburse some flight costs from Spain he had paid out of pocket.
On the other hand, Jefferson M.M. has maintained that he knew no other party involved in this case apart from his brother.
