Alleged organised crime links: UAE extradites 3 suspects to Belgium
Officials said the three suspects had been wanted in Belgium in connection with cases of 'cross-border organised crime'.
In December, reports first surfaced that one of Belgium's most wanted international drug traffickers, Othman El Ballouti, had been arrested in Dubai.
Ballouti was among the three names provided by Dubai police in a statement.
'The three suspects, Mathias Akyazili, Giorgi Faes, and Othman El Ballouti, face several serious criminal charges, including operating a notorious gang, trafficking narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, committing robbery, and engaging in human trafficking,' read the statement released by the government of Dubai's media office.
Authorities said the three Belgian nationals were taken into custody based on INTERPOL red notices issued against them in an operation 'that showcased Dubai police's close coordination with international law enforcement agencies'.
Belgium and the United Arab Emirates signed an extradition agreement in 2021. The first extradition from the UAE to Belgium was an Albanian trafficker in December 2023.
Many drug lords are thought to have gone into hiding in Dubai after a team of Belgian, Dutch and French investigators in 2019 cracked the Sky ECC encrypted communications network system used by smugglers.
The oil-rich United Arab Emirates — which is tightly controlled and policed — prides itself on its business-friendly security and stability.
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