Massive Profits Alleged by Prosecutors
A high-profile trial has begun in Brussels for Belgian national Flor Bressers, accused of running a vast cocaine trafficking enterprise. Prosecutors estimate that Bressers reaped €230m from ten separate shipments, while Brazilian co-defendant Sérgio Roberto de Carvalho allegedly earned €200m. Together with other suspects, the prosecution claims the network generated close to €500m in illegal profits.
Rotterdam Seizure at Heart of the Case
The investigation was launched after Dutch authorities discovered 3.2 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a cargo of manganese ore in Rotterdam in 2020. That seizure, officials say, was part of a broader pattern of large-scale smuggling operations targeting major European ports. Security concerns led the judiciary to move proceedings from Bruges to Brussels, where hearings are taking place at the fortified Justitia court complex.
International Arrests and Extraditions
Bressers was apprehended in Zurich in early 2022 before being extradited to Belgium later that year. De Carvalho was arrested in Hungary in 2023. Among the 30 defendants are a Dutch lawyer and a former London banker, both accused of facilitating money laundering. Defence representatives are preparing to contest the prosecution’s calculations and to reject portrayals of their clients as masterminds of the operation.
