Antwerp Drug Gang Sentenced as Law Firm Insider Leaked Secrets
A Belgian court has handed down heavy prison sentences to members of a drug trafficking organization that smuggled nearly six tons of cocaine through the Port of Antwerp, in a case that exposed the infiltration of a major law firm by organized crime. The gang leader’s sister, who worked as a management assistant at the firm, was found to have leaked confidential case information to the criminal network.
In a separate but related development, the Antwerp court also rejected an appeal by major drug baron Othman “Patron” El Ballouti, upholding his 27-year prison sentence for orchestrating massive cocaine shipments from Dubai.
The Drug Seizure and Raid
The investigation began on April 9, 2024, when Belgian customs intercepted containers arriving from Freetown, Sierra Leone, at quay 1400 in the Port of Antwerp. The containers were declared as carrying palm oil for the company Kukje Trading Enterprise, but customs discovered cocaine hidden behind plastic jerry cans wrapped in grey tape.
Rather than seizing the drugs immediately, authorities conducted a controlled delivery. The container was transported by truck driver Kristof V. to a warehouse in the Terbekehofdreef in Wilrijk. As the warehouse doors closed, federal police special units stormed the facility, finding 11 defendants inside — two of whom were hiding behind false walls. Officers seized approximately 5,000 blocks of cocaine totaling nearly six tons, 17 Apple Airtags used to track the shipment, and weapons including a Glock pistol and two X15 semi-automatic assault rifles.
The Sentences
On June 26, 2026, the Antwerp criminal court delivered its verdicts. Fugitive ringleader Mohamed A. (29), believed to be hiding in Spain, was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison. His right-hand man Ilias V.H. (26) received six years, while Francis K.E. was sentenced to five years. Other defendants received sentences ranging from four years to 40 months, and eight “uithalers” (extractors who physically remove drugs from containers) each received 40 months. All defendants were also handed a 10-year port ban.
The Law Firm Insider
The most striking aspect of the case involved Noura A. (25), the sister of gang leader Mohamed A. She worked as a management assistant in the corporate law department of a prominent Antwerp law firm — the very firm that was representing two of the defendants, Ilias V.H. and Alessandro P.
According to the prosecutor, Noura A. “had access to the file and regularly conducted searches in the file at the request of her brother or his girlfriend. She then passed these on to them. She passed on port and transport-related information, created fake email addresses, and arranged travel for her brother.”
Her downfall came when she sent a photo of her computer screen to her brother, which police later used to identify her. The photo showed a Post-it note with a law firm account number stuck to the screen, linking her directly to the firm.
The law firm fired Noura A. immediately upon discovery. A partner stated that the firm operates a “Chinese Walls” system to prevent information flow between departments, but investigators suggested that Noura may have been deliberately placed — or “dropped” — at the firm by the criminal organization, a tactic that mirrors intelligence agency methods.
Noura A. was sentenced to 150 hours of community service, as was Narjiss G., the girlfriend of Mohamed A., whose lifestyle was found to be disproportionate to her legal income.
Firebomb Attack
The case took a violent turn in November 2024 when a firebomb exploded at the front door of the parental home of Noura and Mohamed A. in Ranst. Investigators linked the attack directly to the drug investigation, highlighting how the cocaine trade’s violence extends beyond the criminal underworld into residential neighborhoods.
El Ballouti’s Appeal Rejected
In a parallel development, the Antwerp court rejected an appeal by Othman El Ballouti (38), one of Belgium’s most notorious drug barons. As VRT NWS reported, El Ballouti had challenged two convictions handed down in 2024: a seven-year sentence for importing 840 kilograms of cocaine and a 20-year sentence for orchestrating an 11-ton cocaine shipment intercepted in the Port of Antwerp in 2021.
Extradited from Dubai to Belgium in summer 2025, El Ballouti argued his innocence, claiming he had worked in a restaurant in the UAE. The court rejected his challenges, confirming the combined 27-year prison sentence and fines totaling €456,000.
Broader Context: Antwerp as Europe’s Cocaine Gateway
The cases underscore the scale of cocaine trafficking through the Port of Antwerp, which has become the primary entry point for cocaine into Europe. According to Europol, over 70% of cocaine entering the continent passes through the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. Belgian customs seized a record 116 tons of cocaine in Antwerp in 2023 and 110 tons in 2024, as AP News reported.
The infiltration of a law firm represents an escalation in criminal tactics, demonstrating that drug cartels are penetrating professional services firms to gain access to confidential case information. The “drop” theory — that Noura A. was deliberately placed at the firm — suggests a level of strategic planning by criminal organizations that mirrors intelligence agency operations.
What’s Next
Authorities continue to search for Mohamed A., who remains a fugitive believed to be in Spain. The investigation also repeatedly encountered the name of Dutch drug criminal “Bolle Jos” (Jos Leijdekkers), one of Europe’s most wanted traffickers, though insufficient evidence was found to prosecute him in this case. The broader questions of how law firms and other professional services can protect themselves from criminal infiltration remain pressing as Belgium grapples with the escalating challenge of drug-related crime.