Son of Belgian MP Among Eight Indicted in Cocaine Trafficking Case Linked to Education Minister’s Office

The case was revealed on Thursday by La Dernière Heure. Six of the eight suspects were placed in preventive detention by the investigating judge, while the other two were released under conditions. "The Brussels public prosecutor’s office is able to confirm that drugs were found in the office of the French-speaking Minister of Education in December 2023. A cabinet collaborator has been made available to an investigating judge, who has indicted him for drug trafficking and possession, and placed him under arrest warrant. In this case, a total of 8 suspects have been made available to the investigating judge," the Brussels public prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The collaborator in question is none other than Mekki Vanhaelen, who serves as an economist in the minister’s office. The search of his home led to the seizure of a sum of 10,000 euros. "On the evening of Wednesday, December 15, the Minister of Education was informed that an assistant in charge of material and logistics in the cabinet was under arrest as part of an investigation into a drug trafficking case. The same day, a search of his office was carried out by us to verify whether any incriminating objects were there. About fifty sachets containing a white powder were discovered," the cabinet explained in a statement.

The cabinet assures that it is cooperating with the investigating judge in charge of the investigation to establish the truth. "In agreement with the investigators, the chief of staff opened the doors of the collaborator’s office and all the premises to which he had access on Friday, December 17. The sachets were taken away by the investigators the same day. They found nothing else and did not wish to hear any other member of the cabinet since then."