“This marks a real turning point in the battle against organised crime and against criminality related to drugs,” said Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden, commenting on the verdicts.
The Sky ECC encrypted messaging service was cracked by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and Australian and European law enforcement agencies in 2021.
Europol said at the time that the operation “provided invaluable insights into hundreds of millions of messages exchanged between criminals”.
Next month, two luxury villas in Belgium owned by Turkish drug lord Orhan Ungan, will be auctioned off. The villas in Belgium’s northern Kapellen region, boast golden fixtures, crystal chandeliers and Versace-style decor. The starting price for each villa is over $700,000.
Ungan, who orchestrated extensive narcotics trafficking operations across Europe, was arrested and is currently in a Turkish prison awaiting trial. Turkey has emerged as a major transit point for cocaine heading for Europe. Authorities there have recorded a seven-fold increase in drug seizures since 2014.
With Reuters inputs
Source link : https://stratnewsglobal.com/europe/belgium-court-sentences-100-drug-traffickers-to-prison-in-mass-trial/
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Publish date : 2024-10-29 19:01:00
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