The action is the result of an investigation that started in 2024, after the police of Ostend tracked down a gang that probably acted in drugs. At the request of the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office, an investigating judge from Bruges led the further investigation.
On May 21, the police carried out ten house searches in Ostend, Middelkerke, Nieuwpoort and Leuven. In the home of the suspected leader, a 45-year-old Russian man, more than a kilo of cocaine was found. Smaller quantities were also discovered at other locations. In total, about seven kilos of cocaine was seized.