Belgium is seeking the extradition from Colombia of drug kingpin Mounir Namoussi, a Belgian-Moroccan citizen. Known as «Mou», he was apprehended in late February in Barranquilla as part of an international investigation into cocaine trafficking with Eastern European cartels. The Colombian National Police Director General publicly announced Namoussi's arrest on March 1st via social media. Five days later, the Belgian Ministry of Justice formally requested his extradition to Belgium, where he faces a seven-year prison sentence stemming from a 2021 conviction. The operation leading to Namoussi's capture was the result of a collaborative effort between Belgian, Colombian, and British law enforcement agencies. According to Colombian authorities, Namoussi occupied a pivotal role within a transnational criminal network linking Eastern European cartels with Latin American syndicates, notably the notorious «Clan del Golfo» from Mexico. «The suspect employed magnetic metal boxes to smuggle between 270 and 300 kilograms of cocaine weekly, attaching them to cargo ships at sea», stated Director General Carlos Fernando Triana Beltrán of the Colombian National Police. The narcotics were intercepted before reaching the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. Namoussi was previously convicted in Tongeren, Belgium, in 2021 for orchestrating cocaine shipments between Colombia and Rotterdam. He was subject to an Interpol Red Notice, indicating an international arrest warrant issued by a judge in Limburg. Article modifié le 07/03/2025 à 13h59
