Antwerp Court Seizes $400 Million from Fugitive Drug Lord in Major Cocaine Trafficking Case

An admirer of the famous gangster Patrick Haemers, who had notably kidnapped Prime Minister Paul Vanden Boeynants, Omar Govers takes the nickname "Patje Haemers". In 15 years, he made a name for himself in the drug world. Originally from Merksem, he directed dozens of "runners" (couriers) for years to supply cocaine throughout downtown Antwerp. Convicted several times, he managed to flee Belgium to take refuge in Dubai, where he founded a real estate company under another identity.

Recently, the Antwerp court ruled on 42 drug-related cases concerning "Patje Haemers", representing more than 26,000 kilos with a market value of 2 billion euros. After dismantling the SKY ECC network, investigators discovered that he had ordered the operation and amassed a patrimonial advantage of 677 million euros.

On Friday, the court delivered its verdict. Following the public prosecutor’s recommendations, it sentenced Govers to 20 years in prison and a fine of 400,000 euros. The court also ordered the confiscation of a patrimonial advantage of about 400 million euros.

Govers will serve his sentence if Dubai ends his run and proceeds with his extradition to Belgium. He could thus serve his sentence there like his accomplices, the Belgian-Moroccan drug traffickers Othman El Ballouti or Nordin El Hajjioui.