The area surrounding the Halle Gate and Jacques Franck Square was repeatedly in the news about 2 months ago due to several shootings that took place there, in which at least one person was killed. The shootings were most likely part of a turf war between different drug gangs.
The violence even led to a crisis meeting of the Regional Security Cell of the Brussels-Capital Region. The local police zones Brussels Capital-Ixelles and Brussels South, together with the Brussels public prosecutor’s office and the municipalities of Brussels and Sint-Gillis, also developed an action plan to tackle street dealers.
“59 suspects were arrested during these actions, of which 52 were ultimately made available to the public prosecutor’s office,” the Brussels public prosecutor’s office reports. “There are currently 11 judicial investigations underway before various investigating judges. A total of 18 arrest warrants were issued for offenses of possession and sale of drugs and for theft with violence, and 5 suspects received a summary court summons. These suspects will soon appear before the criminal court must answer.”
“A case has already led to a verdict,” the public prosecutor’s office said. “2 suspects were convicted of drug-related offenses and each received a prison sentence of 14 and 18 months respectively. All other cases are criminal investigations, at the level of the public prosecutor’s office, which are still ongoing.”
In total, just over half a kilogram of soft drugs, 223 grams of hard drugs and 1,169 packages of cocaine, 62,300 euros in cash and 4 firearms were also seized, it added.
Tags: suspects arrested action street dealers Brussels Hallepoort
