Belgium: Over 100 Convicted in Drug Gang Crackdown
Belgium: Over 100 Convicted in Drug Gang Crackdown
The Facts
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.The lower-ranking gang members received lighter sentences, with one police officer also receiving a one police officer received a partially suspended five-year sentence for providing police database information to the gangs. Nine defendants were acquitted.
In what's become the country's largest-ever drug bust, the defendants from Belgium, Albania, Colombia, and North African nations were found guilty of trafficking cocaine and cannabis, often through the use of encrypted messaging apps.This comes three months after 50 arrests were made across eight countries in connection with cocaine shipments from Latin America to Europe. Some defense lawyers called the latest operation a "publicity stunt," arguing that the defendants were "artificially" lumped together to create a spectacle.
The Spin
These convictions are a breath of fresh air for Europe, a continent that has seen its safest cities destroyed by drug gangs for years. Besides flooding European streets with dangerous drugs, some of these gangs have committed murder targeting witnesses, journalists, and lawyers. Governments must continue their crackdown on gangs and implement stricter drug policies to end this transnational organized crime wave.
While no one wants drug dealers and murderers to go free, the means with which European authorities are combatting these crimes risk violating human rights. With crime fighting as their trojan horse, governments will likely broaden their scope to include spying on political speech. The EU has gone as far as to propose a "Chat Control" law, which would allow them to spy on other apps like Signal and WhatsApp. Safety should not come at the cost of freedom of speech.
