A major police operation has led to the dismantling of a violent international criminal organisation involved in drug trafficking in Brussels, one of the gangs believed to be behind the shootings, kidnappings and insecurity of the last few months.
The organisation, which had branches as far afield as Marseille in France, specialised in trafficking cocaine and marijuana. Having set up its headquarters in Anderlecht’s Peterbos Park, the gang aimed to seize control of the entire drug market in Brussels through violent methods.
The strategic location in Peterbos enabled them to plan and coordinate their illicit activities throughout Brussels and beyond. Both the police and the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office have highlighted the brutal methods used by this organisation to establish its authority and extend its influence.
"The members of the network did not hesitate to resort to armed violence, including attempted assassination and kidnapping, to intimidate their rivals and force them to give ground," the Public Prosecutor said.
The operation, which lasted several months, mobilised significant resources and required close cooperation between the various police units. The investigators were able to gather the evidence they needed to strike a "major blow" against this organisation, the prosecutor said.
The police carried out several simultaneous raids, arresting the main members of the network and seizing drugs, weapons and money. A dozen people were deprived of their liberty.
The investigation also revealed that this organisation had close links with other criminal groups in France, particularly in Marseille, where arrests were also made. These cross-border connections would have enabled large sums of money to be moved between the two countries.
February shootings
In February, the deterioration of the security situation around the Peterbos neighbourhood in Anderlecht was widely reported as being due to the establishment of a powerful drug trafficking gang with ties to Marseille. The supposed the ringleader in prison but running the business from behind bars.
The gang has made the news after a series of shootings in the Anderlecht and Saint-Gilles areas, which resulted in the death of one suspected drug dealer in the Square Jacques Franck by Porte de Hal.
That same month, investigators were following the hypothesis of a new territorial war between drug trafficking gangs established in the Peterbos district in Anderlecht, and another group based in this lower part of Saint-Gilles – in and around the Porte de Hal and the Square Jacques Frank. There were also shootings in Forest as well as attempted kidnappings.
Peterbos neighbourhood, in Anderlecht, Brussels. Credit: Belga
Amid rising concern among local residents, the security situation around the Peterbos neighbourhood – which is characterised by large-scale social housing complexes – was seriously deteriorating.
Some Flemish media outlets even reported that dealers were blocking access to roads and carrying out ID checks for people entering the area, as well as threatening and intimidating locals.
Staff from security firm G4S –responsible for resetting fire alarm systems in the buildings – were refusing to enter Peterbos owing to a lack of security in February. The company had also been paying an external security company €70,000 per month to protect construction workers carrying out renovations.
Several months ago, Peterbos became one of the 15 "drug hotspots" identified by the Brussels' Security Council in the wake of increased drug-related violence and a series of shootings on the capital's streets.
This measure, as part of a new method to fight the drug violence in Brussels, has made these areas priority areas to be tackled.
The other hotspots are Chaussée d'Anvers, Matongé, Yser, Querelle, Versailles, Porte de Hal, Clémenceau, Saint-Antoine, Midi station, North station, Étangs Noirs, Ribaucourt, Bonnevie and the Rue de la Colonne/Rue de la Borne.
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