Belgium

Articles

• Antwerp Court Seizes $400 Million from Fugitive Drug Lord in Major Cocaine Trafficking Case
  13 April, by Sylvanus

  The Antwerp court has sentenced in absentia Omar Govers alias "Patje Haemers", one of the city’s most notorious drug-related criminals, whose accomplices are Belgian-Moroccans Othman El Ballouti or Nordin El Hajjioui, to a heavy prison sentence for importing more than 26 tons of cocaine.
  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 (…)

• Belgian-Moroccan Suspect in Child Kidnapping Case Vanishes Before Trial
  11 April, by Sylvanus

  While he is due to appear before the Tongeren Assize Court on April 22, a 32-year-old Belgian-Moroccan has disappeared from the radar. This man accused of kidnapping a child is untraceable in Tongeren.
  Will Abderrahman Laktit be present at his trial for kidnapping on April 22 before the Tongeren Assize Court? Nothing is certain. "We think he is on the run," it is said. The units went to Abderrahman’s home and noticed that there was no one there. The thirtysomething is accused of a double (…)

• Major Drug Trafficking Ring Busted: 120 Convicted in Brussels Trial
  30 October 2024, by Prince

  End in Brussels of the exceptional trial of 120 people prosecuted for international cocaine and cannabis trafficking, among other things, from Morocco. The accused were sentenced to sentences ranging from a few months to 17 years in prison.
  After a long trial that took place from December 2023 to May 2024, the Brussels court finally delivered its verdict on Tuesday in this case of international drug trafficking from Morocco for which more than 120 men and women of Albanian, Colombian, (…)

• Antwerp Mayor Blocks Kickboxing Champ’s Gym Opening, Citing Safety Concerns
  31 December 2022, by Sylvanus

  The mayor of Antwerp, Bart De Wever, opposes the opening of the new fitness and boxing gym of kickboxer champion Jamal Ben Saddik. The latter is taking the matter to court.
  Jamal Ben Saddik’s new fitness and boxing gym will not open on January 2 as announced due to the mayor’s veto, reports Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN). "The mayor opposed the opening of our Vinci Club fitness and boxing gym. Next week, the court will rule on our opposition to this unjustified measure," said the Belgian (…)

• Belgian Driver Sentenced in Fatal Hit-and-Run of 11-Year-Old Cyclist
  26 July 2023, by Prince

  The Maaseik police court has just sentenced a woman to three months in prison with probation and eight months of driving ban for hitting Bilal Ben Omar, an 11-year-old Moroccan, on May 19, 2021 in Maasmechelen. The boy died a few days later in the hospital.
  The woman, from Kinrooi, hit Bilal who was cycling with her Citroën on the roundabout of the Oude Baan and the Koning Albertlaan in Maasmechelen. The forty-year-old dragged the boy, trapped under her car, for a few more

• Spanish Police Bust Major Moroccan Hashish Ring, Seize 376 Kilos of Drugs
  10 October 2022, by Prince

  The Spanish police have dismantled a major hashish trafficking network from Morocco, based on the coasts of Cadiz and Malaga, with ramifications in other Spanish communities. In total, 21 people were arrested and 296 kilos of marijuana and 80 kilos of hashish were seized.
  The criminal network was transporting the drugs by sea from Morocco, storing them in warehouses before transporting them by truck to countries like France, Belgium and the Netherlands. The police operation led to the (…)

• 11-Year-Old Girl Killed in Antwerp Drug Gang Shooting, Police Investigate
  11 January 2023, by Prince

  A 11-year-old girl was killed on Monday in Antwerp in a shooting that targeted her home in Merksem. A member of a Moroccan family involved in drug trafficking, Ferdaous was a collateral victim of a settling of scores between drug traffickers.
  "The 11-year-old girl was seriously injured. She was taken to the hospital, but unfortunately she died shortly afterwards," said Willem Migom, spokesperson for the Antwerp police, on Tuesday. Initially, the agents thought the young girl had succumbed (…)

• Genk Director Defends Transfer of 13-Year-Old Soccer Prodigy Amid Controversy
  3 May 2024, by Prince

  Under fire for accepting the transfer of Ilyes Bennane to Anderlecht, Dimitri De Condé breaks his silence. The sports director of Genk returns to the reasons and circumstances of the departure of the Liège-born Moroccan, who became the youngest Belgian international at just 13 years old.
  "The problem was in the entourage... The parents criticized the other players, the other parents, the club, the coaches," explained Dimitri De Condé to Nieuwsblad, who says he summoned all the parties to (…)

• Moroccan Man Arrested in Belgium After Knife Altercation with Father Over Cultural Differences
  18 September 2023, by Prince

  A young Moroccan was arrested on Saturday in Seraing, Belgium, after trying to stab his father with a knife.
  The father was urging his son to respect Moroccan traditions, while the latter wanted to lead a Western life. The two men then began to argue when the son took a knife and struck his father, reports Sud Info.
  Fortunately, the father was not injured. Arrested on Saturday, the young man will be brought before the Liège public prosecutor’s office this Sunday.

• Belgium Investigates Suspected Fraud in Moroccan Work Permit Applications
  25 February 2023, by Ginette

  Several hundred applications for combined residence-work permits in Belgium are under investigation for suspected fraud. Nearly a hundred of these files concern Moroccan visas.
  The Belgian embassy in Rabat has blocked 80 "potentially fraudulent" applications, pending the completion of the investigation opened a few months ago. According to the general directorate of the Office of Foreigners, the "single permit" allows Belgian companies to hire and bring in Moroccan, Turkish and other (…)