Belgian federal prosecutors demanded the maximum 20-year prison sentence on Monday for Flor Bressers, a central figure in a massive drug smuggling operation that moved tons of cocaine through the port of Antwerp using a water-purification company as a front. The high-security trial in Brussels also targets alleged co-conspirators, including two defense attorneys.
The high-stakes Antwerp drug trafficking trial reached a pivotal stage in a heavily secured Brussels courtroom on Monday, as prosecutors laid out sweeping prison demands against 31 co-defendants. At the center of the case stands Flor Bressers, whom authorities describe as one of Europe’s primary cocaine traffickers. Prosecutors requested a 20-year prison sentence—the maximum penalty available—for Bressers, characterizing him as the hoofdverdachte, or the main suspect.
Investigators assert that Bressers managed his narcotics enterprise remotely from locations including a luxury yacht on the Seychelles before his arrest in Switzerland in 2022. The sprawling legal case revolves around the smuggling operations through the port of Antwerp, where the water-purification firm Kriva Rochem served as a commercial front. The investigation originally ignited after customs intercepted 3,200 kilograms of cocaine inside a container destined for the company, while subsequent intercepted chat records revealed that approximately 16,000 kilo had moved along the same illicit shipping route.
Prosecution Targets Lawyers Accused of Inside Information and Threats
Beyond the primary drug organizers, the federal prosecutor’s office trained its sights on legal professionals who allegedly aided the syndicate. Prosecutors requested a five-year prison sentence for Dutch criminal defense attorney Cem Polat, accusing him of passing confidential police files to Bressers after representing arrested members of the organization.
According to the case file, Polat allegedly stepped into a case by taking over from a pro bono lawyer who initially refused to hand over the investigative dossier. Court documents detail that Bressers subsequently issued threats in intercepted chat messages demanding that the original attorney be careful not to end up als de vermoorde advocaat Derk Wiersum, referring to the assassinated Dutch lawyer. The federal prosecutor’s office contends that Polat and a second lawyer—former Belgian attorney Pol Vandemeulebroucke, who also faces a five-year demand—speelde politiestukken door to keep Bressers informed and ensure detained suspects kept silent.
Cem Polat stated via NOS that he had carried out his work as a lawyer in accordance with the legislation applicable in the Netherlands, adding that it was now apparently being investigated in Belgium whether those activities constituted a criminal offense under Belgian law.
Polat strongly rejects the accusations, calling the prosecution juridisch bezien uiterst merkwaardig, aangezien ik überhaupt niet als raadsman in België heb opgetreden while emphasizing that he operated strictly binnen de kaders van de strafwetgeving in the Netherlands. He noted that Dutch disciplinary authorities and local investigative bodies previously closed inquiries into his conduct without filing charges.
Financial Enablers and International Figures Face Severe Sentences
The legal dragnet extends far beyond the courtroom’s legal defense teams. Federal magistrate Marianne Capelle detailed the accusations against Petronella V. for whom prosecutors argued she lived on money from criminal activities.
“Madame Petronella V.”
Marianne Capelle, Federal Magistrate, via lalibre.be
Prosecutors argued that Petronella V. funded her lifestyle, established a beauty salon, and traveled using false passports met de l’argent provenant d’activités criminelles while maintaining a close relationship with one of the world’s most prominent narcotics traffickers. Alongside Bressers, federal authorities requested a 15-year prison sentence for Brazilian drug baron Sergio Roberto de Carvalho, underscoring the international scope of the syndicate.
Turbulent Courtroom Proceedings and Next Legal Steps
Monday’s sentencing demands cap a notoriously volatile judicial procedure. The Kriva Rochem megatrial has endured frequent disruptions, including heated arguments, the mid-trial expulsion of two attorneys by the bench, and an extraordinary January decision by judges to close hearings without further input from prosecutors or defense counsel. That ruling triggered anger, the appointment of replacement judges, and significant scheduling delays.
With the federal prosecutor’s office finally delivering its official sentencing requirements, the courtroom dynamics shift. Defense lawyers are scheduled to present their closing arguments in the upcoming days, after which the court will prepare its verdict on an enterprise that allegedly generated hundreds of millions of euros in illicit revenue.