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Daily Mail

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119 people were sentenced by a Belgian court to between 14 months and 17 years in prison following a "massive drug trafficking trial in Brussels," according to the federal police.

Reuters

In what's become the country's largest-ever drug bust, the defendants from Belgium, Albania, Colombia, and North Africa were found guilty of trafficking cocaine and cannabis, often through the use of encrypted messaging apps.

The strictest sentences went to the drug trafficking leaders, including 14 years for Eridan Munoz-Guerrero of Albania, and 17 years to Algerian man Abdelwahab Guerni. They both also had millions of euros of property seized by authorities.

Brusselstimes

According to prosecutors, the drugs were transported by multiple gangs — who used the messaging apps Sky ECC and EncroChat — in containers from South America and Morocco to ports in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and France.

Voice of Alexandria

The lower-ranking gang members received lighter sentences, with one police officer also receiving a five-year, partially suspended sentence for providing police database information to the gangs. Nine defendants were acquitted.

This comes three months after 50 arrests were made across eight countries in connection with cocaine shipments from Latin America to Europe. However, some defense lawyers called the latest operation a "publicity stunt," arguing that the defendants were "artificially" lumped together to create a larger spectacle.

Belgium: Over 100 Arrested in Drug Gang Crackdown

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Belgium: Over 100 Arrested in Drug Gang Crackdown

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