In the large-scale police operation against the drug gang operating in Anderlecht's Peterbos neighbourhood on Tuesday, 19 suspects were arrested: 17 in Brussels and two in Marseille (France).
Of the 19 arrested, four suspects are already being detained in a prison cell, the others will be brought before the judge on Wednesday afternoon, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office announced.
"This operation is part of three separate judicial investigations into the problems of the Peterbos neighbourhood," the Prosecutor's Office said in a press release. "These investigations are led and coordinated by investigating judges in Brussels and a special section of the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office."
This police operation led to the dismantling of an international criminal organisation believed to be active in drug trafficking. "The organisation allegedly had ramifications as far as Marseille in France and specialised in cocaine and cannabis trafficking."
Suspects still being questioned
Months of intensive investigation have revealed that the criminal organisation can be linked to several shootings, kidnappings, violence and attempted murders that have recently taken place in Brussels.
"On Tuesday, a total of 25 searches were carried out in the context of these three cases, leading to the arrest of 19 suspects – 17 of them in Belgium and two in Marseille, thanks to the good cooperation between the Belgian and French judicial and police authorities."
At this stage, four suspects were charged with being a member/leader of a criminal organisation, attempted murder, selling drugs in an organisation, selling drugs in an organisation as leader, possession of weapons, theft by force, and money laundering.
The other suspects are still being questioned. In the coming hours, the investigating judges will decide whether they too will be remanded in custody, the Prosecutor's Office said.
The 'Peterbos' neighbourhood, in Anderlecht, Brussels. Credit: Belga / Hatim Kaghat
The Peterbos neighbourhood, a social high-rise residential area in Anderlecht, has long had a bad reputation for nuisance and crime resulting from the drug trafficking issues that are rampant in the area.
Drug gangs from Marseille have been calling the shots there for several years, trying to expand their territory by force if necessary. In December 2022, 30 more people were convicted and sentenced to up to eight years in prison for setting up a well-organised drug trade from the neighbourhood's social housing blocks.
Still, organised drug trafficking remained an issue in the neighbourhood, and conflicts repeatedly arose between the organisation operating from the Peterbos neighbourhood and other drug gangs.
All this led to a crisis meeting of the Security Council of the Brussels-Capital Region in February 2024. At the end of April, the authorities introduced systematic identity checks and entry bans in the Peterbos neighbourhood, as well as a total ban on alcohol in public spaces in Anderlecht.
