During a search of the office of French-speaking Education Minister Caroline Désir (PS), 50 little bags of cocaine were found in December. A staff member has been arrested.
On 15 December, Désir was informed that an assistant in charge of equipment and logistics at her office had been arrested as part of an investigation into drug trafficking, her spokesperson said in a press release confirming earlier reports by La Dernière Heure.
"A day later, a dismissal procedure for breach of trust was carried out in compliance with the regulations applicable to ministerial offices," she wrote on social media. "On the same day, his office was searched to check for any criminal objects. Around 50 sachets containing white powder were discovered."
The office then contacted a criminal lawyer to begin working with the examining magistrate in charge of the investigation, meaning it "began working with the investigators on its own initiative," she said.
Full cooperation between relevant authorities was ensured and the bags were taken away by investigators on the same day. "They discovered nothing else and have not wished to interview any other member of the office since."
Six people arrested
On Friday around 12:00, the Brussels Prosecutor's Office confirmed that narcotics were found in Désir's office in December 2023, said spokesperson Yanina Vanoverschelde. "A cabinet employee was brought before an investigating judge, who suspected him of selling and possessing narcotics; the suspect was placed under arrest."
A total of eight suspects were brought before the investigating judge, who charged them with selling and possessing narcotics in an association. Two of them were released under conditions. The six others were placed under an arrest warrant.
The investigation is still ongoing, meaning the Brussels Prosecutor's Office will not comment further on the case.
Update: This article was updated to include the latest information by the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office.
