Fugitive drug boss Omar Govers arrested in Dubai, where he is CEO of a real estate company (Antwerp)

The police in Dubai arrested the Antwerp fugitive drug criminal Omar Govers this week, several sources confirmed. Govers is one of the targets that appeared on the ‘wish list’ of Minister of Justice Paul Van Tigchelt.

Today at 3:38 PM

34-year-old Omar Govers has been a big name in the Antwerp drug scene for years. He gained fame as the leader of the local drug network that operated under the name ‘Patje Haemers’ between 2012 and 2014. The organization led by kickboxer Govers had hundreds of customers. In addition to his nickname, that period left him with a five-year prison sentence, pronounced by the Court of Appeal in 2019. Govers has already played at a higher level. In May 2021, he was sentenced to three years in prison in a case involving the import of cocaine via the port of Antwerp. This import was organized from a pasta restaurant linked to Govers in the Abdijstraat on Kiel.

Like most Antwerp drug criminals, Govers turned out to be an avid user of the chat service Sky ECC. The investigators link him to various pins with usernames such as Pasta Cury, Raketje, Old Scofield, Hiroshima (no senor) and Patsoncrime. In the first Sky case – also the first ever before the Antwerp court – Govers was acquitted, but a week later the verdict was reached. Govers was sentenced to thirteen years in prison because, according to the court, he was one of the leaders of a gang responsible for sixteen successful operations in which at least 6,444 kilos of cocaine were imported. The drugs were intended for the infamous Albanian mafia clan Kompania Bello. ‘Patje Haemers’ was also fined 200,000 euros. 5.5 million euros were forfeited.

CEO Hossaini

Already in 2019, just before he was convicted on appeal, Govers left for Dubai. In the Emirates he now goes through life as Omar Hossaini, CEO of a company specialized in luxury real estate. For years he lived out of the spotlight, but in recent months Govers has regularly appeared at public events. He took part in a kickboxing tournament and is frequently seen on his company’s social media, including during team activities such as padel and football. The beaming CEO can also be seen on the evening when deserving colleagues are honored and receive a Rolex watch.

On Tuesday, Govers was arrested by the police in Dubai and imprisoned due to an extradition request from our country for his previous convictions. This happened to Govers a few years ago, but he was released again because not all the documents were in order. In the meantime, Belgium has completed its first successful extradition from Dubai with Dikke Nordin. And unlike his alleged ‘colleague’ Nordin, Govers already has final convictions to his name, but he can still resist extradition. The lawyer of the arrested drug boss, Master Sam Vlaminck, is not available for comment. The public prosecutor’s office in Antwerp could not yet respond to the arrest on Wednesday.

ALSO LOOK AT. Antwerp drug criminal Dikke Nordin landed in Melsbroek after extradition from Dubai: