One of the biggest drug trials in recent years is starting today (10 March) in the court of Tongeren, Limburg. Dozens of defendants, including some notorious figures, are on trial for importing at least 25 tonnes of South American cocaine into Belgium.
A major drug trial is starting in Belgium today: the 'Costa' investigation, in which 55 defendants and several companies will be questioned. The defendants include Willy Van Mechelen, a former officer of the state police (gendarmerie in French and rijkswacht in Dutch) and drug lord 'Bolle' Jos Leijdekkers (Dutch for 'tubby Jos'), who is the most wanted person in the Netherlands.
The defendants are on trial for charges relating to a criminal organisation, drug trafficking, money laundering and violations of arms legislation. They imported at least 25 tonnes of South American cocaine through the Port of Antwerp and laundered the money they were presumed to have profited – around €3.5 billion – through gold, luxury watches and real estate purchases.
The Limburg court has scheduled at least 12 court days to hear this complex case. The various arrested defendants are currently being held in custody in various prisons, including Hasselt and Dendermonde. The prison transport was stuck in traffic on Monday morning, resulting in the trial starting more than 45 minutes late.
Almost all the ringleaders are present with their lawyers in the assize courtroom of the Tongeren court, Belga News Agency reported. The same cannot be said of key figures 'Bolle' Jos and Anthony H., who are fugitives.
Large drug hauls
The investigation into the 'Costa' case began in 2019, with the discovery of a container coming from Costa Rica. The investigation's name is an abbreviation of the country, a reference to the intercepted shipment of drugs that started it all.
In this container, hidden among tropical wood, investigators found 2,800 kilos of cocaine. The shipment was destined for a company in Maasmechelen, also in the province of Limburg.
This spurred an in-depth investigation by the Federal Judicial Police. Eight investigators spent the following year mapping out gang members. At first, this was no easy task, as the criminals use encrypted telephones and counter-observations. However, the Sky-ECC telephones were later cracked, which provided a great deal of additional information.
In September and October 2019, the police raided dozens of addresses in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. The police found €1.3 million in cash, €700,000 in bank accounts, shares, weapons, gold, paintings, expensive watches and 40 luxury cars.
At the end of October 2020, an even bigger drug haul was made: 11,500 kilos of cocaine were intercepted in a container with scrap metal. At the time, it was the largest cocaine seizure in Belgian history, destined for Geert Frisson's motorcycle club in the Limburg commune of Borgloon.
Related News
- Dutch drug baron 'Bolle' Jos gets 13 years in jail for attempted theft of 10 tonnes of cocaine
- Serious organised crime remains the major focus of Federal Judicial Police
Investigators discovered the organisation partnered with various other drug gangs. In total, they were able to identify four gangs, all of which are linked in one way or another and/or have provided each other with favours.
Five years down the line, there have been more house searches, more arrested suspects and more intercepted shipments of cocaine (hidden among bananas, avocados or scrap metal).
