Authorities Describe Widespread Trafficking Network
Flor Bressers, a Belgian national, appeared in a Brussels courtroom this week facing charges of heading a major cocaine-smuggling operation. Prosecutors claim he earned approximately €230m from ten shipments, while co-defendant Sérgio Roberto de Carvalho, from Brazil, is said to have made close to €200m. Officials assert that the 30 defendants on trial collectively gained around €500m through the network.
2020 Rotterdam Seizure Sparks Investigation
The legal case originates from a 2020 discovery in Rotterdam, when customs officers uncovered 3.2 tonnes of cocaine hidden inside manganese ore. Authorities argue the interception revealed a sophisticated trafficking network moving drugs into Europe through key ports. For security reasons, the trial was transferred from Bruges to the fortified Justitia complex in Brussels.
Cross-Border Arrests Bring Defendants to Court
Bressers was detained in Zurich in February 2022 and extradited to Belgium later that year, while De Carvalho was arrested in Hungary in 2023. The list of defendants includes a Dutch lawyer and a former London banker, both accused of laundering the organisation’s illicit funds. Defence lawyers are expected to contest the prosecution’s financial assessments and dispute claims that their clients held leadership roles in the operation.
