Antwerp "Northern Belgium": Europe and the Arabs
The case known as "explosives and hand grenades", which includes arms and drug smuggling, continues today, Monday, before the criminal court in Antwerp after a period of postponement. The process, which began in the spring of 2022, was delayed by the lawyer of the gang leader, named Noureddine "whose origins go back to one of the North African countries", and his lawyer twice filed a request for recusal against the judges, demanding their removal, and the Court of Appeal rejected the requests for removal each time. According to the media in Brussels, quoting the Belgian news agency, "51 defendants are being tried in the case, including Noureddine. According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, he heads a criminal organization and allegedly gave orders from Dubai to steal cocaine containers, buy weapons and explosives and commit violent crimes after drug transactions failed. The investigation began with a shooting incident on the night of April 20, 2019, when a 20-year-old woman shot herself in the foot while she was drunk in an apartment in Verbrandendijk in Zwijndrecht. The police found not only an arsenal of weapons, but also 28 kilograms of cocaine and 25,000 euros in cash.
Bornem and Ellandje
Further investigations, which included notes, telephone investigations and direct wiretapping, revealed the existence of a criminal organization involved in the importation of drugs. Six containers of cocaine were stolen from the port by fraud. After the drugs were removed from the containers, they were resealed and returned. During a raid on a warehouse in the municipality of Bornem in January 13, 2020, 203 kilograms of cocaine were found.

Noureddine emerged from the overheard conversations as the leader of the organization. According to the public prosecutor, the others called him NWA. The organization had branches in Antwerp, Limburg and the Netherlands, which kept in touch with each other.

One of the meeting places was an apartment in Antwerp. Drug shipments were traded and cocaine and money were stored. The organization also acquired weapons to protect itself and to exercise intimidation and revenge when criminal activities were threatened.

Twelve years in prison
According to the public prosecutor, the members of the organization showed particular commitment to silence after their arrest. No names were mentioned. No one confirmed that "Noureddine from Dubai" was the leader, they remained silent out of fear, but also because they had received a bribe.

At a previous hearing, the public prosecutor had requested a twelve-year prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 euros against Noureddine E.H. Prison sentences ranging from three months to ten years were requested for the other fifty defendants.
The defense will have its say starting Monday. It is worth noting that Noureddine is now in a Belgian prison after being extradited from the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.