A recently disbanded drug gang led by a former chief of police has been dealt a new blow after the largest drug “bust in the world.”
Prosecutors stated they tracked the journey of roughly 11.5 tons of cocaine from Guyana in South Amera til it was seized in the Port of Antwerp.
It has been hailed as the biggest overseas drug bust of all time by federal prosecuters who estimate its value at €900 million.
The enormous shipment of cocaine, destined for streets across Europe left Guyana in late October and was tracked after the dismantlement of a drug trafficking gang led by a former Belgian chief of police. It revealed a tightly link between criminals and various counternarcotics and law enforcement officials
Among the 20 criminals arrested were three police officers, a lawyer and a port official following the targeting of the “well-structured” criminal organisation which was suspected of orchestrating enormous and frequent drug shipments from South America to Belgium.
Officials suggest that the record-breaking shipment was expected by law enforcers and that it left the port of Guyana after the gang had been arrested but the drug gang were unable to intercept it after it left the port.
The load was disguised as scrap metal found within a steel container which was then packed into a sea container and loaded onto a transatlantic vessel.
Following the dismantlement of the drug gang in September, 22 people have been arrested, with a further three awaiting extradition in the Netherlands.
After the bust, which took place earlier this month, three other people were arrested, with another person awaiting extradition from the Netherlands.
