Belgian Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt visited the United Arab Emirates last month to discuss the extradition of at least four fugitives, according to the Gazet van Antwerpen. Last week, one of them, Nordin El H., alias “Dikke Nordin”, was transferred to Belgium. The question remains whether Belgium will also get hold of these others. As far as we know, they have not yet been arrested.
Othman El B.
One of these persons is Othman El B. (37), who the Belgian authorities consider to be one of the main importers of cocaine in Europe. He has been living in Dubai for years.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control in the United States blacklisted him and his brother Younes, meaning his assets are frozen and American companies are not allowed to do business with him. Younes was held hostage for some time in 2016, and four Parisian criminals were convicted.
Property
El B. denied being involved in drug trafficking several years ago. He said he trades in real estate and shares. The evidence in the cases for which he is now being prosecuted largely comes from the encryption service Sky ECC, which was cracked by the police.
He made the news ten years ago as one of the financiers of a controversial Islamic primary school in Mechelen. A money laundering investigation resulted in an acquittal.
Othman El B. is the uncle of the 11-year-old girl who was killed in an attack in Merksem mo last year.
Farhan B.
Belgium also wants the extradition of a former brother-in-law of El B.: the Mechelaar Farhan B. (43). He was the main suspect in the cocaine trafficking case in which Dutch former television presenter Frank Masmeijer was convicted.
B. was sentenced to eleven years in prison in that case, and later another seven years as the initiator of attacks in the drug environment. At the beginning of 2022, B. was briefly detained in Dubai, but was released again.
Omar G.
Former kickboxer Omar G. received sentences of three, five and thirteen years for leading a group of extractors that collected cocaine from the port of Antwerp. G. also spent a while in jail in Dubai. He profiles himself there as a businessman and organizer of kickboxing events.
According to Het Parool, a suspect from the network of Ridouan Taghi, who was sentenced to life, was recently arrested because he allegedly made preparations to liquidate G. in 2020. That is Omar C. who was acquitted of murdering a nightclub owner in Spain last year.
Stefan P.
The fourth suspect that the Belgian justice department wants to have extradited by the emirates is 28-year-old Stefan P.. He is one of the main suspects in the Kriva Rochem trial, where Flor B. and the Brazilian Sergio Roberto De C. are also main suspects. That case revolves around the import of many tons of cocaine in containers with manganese ore via the port of Rotterdam.
P. is a Bosnian from Sarajevo, but grew up in Breda. The Dutch police linked him to the drug organization Edin G., who was sentenced to seven years in prison in Rotterdam in November of last year. By the way, Edin G. is also on the run.
“Black”
Belgium is also looking for Flamur S., a co-suspect of Stefan P., in the Kriva Rochem case. S. is Albanian, but most likely now has Turkish nationality.
It is highly questionable whether Abdelilah El M. alias Black is staying in Dubai. According to the Gazet van Antwerpen, he exchanged Dubai for Istanbul in Turkey. He was sentenced to eight years in the “Mackerel case” and to twelve years in another drug case. He probably lives in Turkey.
