One of Europe's most wanted criminals has been extradited to Belgium, where he will serve eight years in prison.
Tom Michielsen is a drug baron from Stabroek, Antwerp and was transferred from Berlin to Termonde prison in Flanders via helicopter on Tuesday.
Michielsen has been on the run since 2020 after being found guilty of bribing a customs official to import large amounts of cocaine and heroin. Prior to this, he also served an 11-year sentence in the Netherlands for drug trafficking and money laundering.
Having evaded the law for years, the 49-year-old has been listed as 'Europe's Most Wanted' for three consecutive years. In 2020, he narrowly escaped a police raid on his Spanish villa before seeking refuge in Germany.
He was apprehended in a restaurant in April and subsequently held in a Berlin prison, following months of coordination between Belgian, German and Dutch police forces to locate him by surveilling close family members.
An appeal against his conviction in Belgium has been lodged and will be heard in the court in September.
