Costa Trial Appeal: Dozens of Defendants Face Retrial in Antwerp
The Costa drug trial, one of Belgium’s largest criminal cases, will be largely retried before the Court of Appeal in Antwerp. The appeal follows the July verdict in the Tongeren correctional court, where 51 defendants were convicted in connection with the large-scale importation of more than 23 tonnes of cocaine through the Port of Antwerp, as VRT NWS reported.
The Appeal
After the appeal deadline expired over the weekend of 29-30 August, it emerged that the case will be reheard for a significant number of defendants. VRT NWS initially reported that 43 defendants would face the appellate court, including key figures Willy Van Mechelen, Geert Frisson, and Tom Bastiaanse. However, TVL reported that the court corrected this count to 26 defendants whose cases will be retried, plus the prosecution’s appeal against the acquittal of two lawyers, bringing the total to 27 appeals. De Morgen also reported 27 defendants in the appeal.
The federal prosecutor’s office also appealed against the acquittal of two lawyers who had been cleared of charges related to sharing information with drug criminals.
The Original Verdict
The verdict in first instance, delivered on 30 July after 1.5 years of proceedings and six attempts to start the trial, was a landmark judgment. The court in Tongeren convicted 51 defendants for the large-scale importation of more than 23 tonnes of cocaine via the Port of Antwerp, participation in a criminal organization, money laundering, and illegal weapons possession. The verdict ran to 665 pages, as VRT NWS reported.
The court imposed more than 245 years of prison sentences and over 5 million euros in fines, while confiscating more than 60 million euros in assets. The heaviest sentences went to Dutch drug baron Jos Leijdekkers, known as “Bolle Jos” (14 years, in absentia), Geert Frisson (13 years plus a 400,000 euro fine), Tom Bastiaanse (12 years), and Willy Van Mechelen (9 years). Five defendants were acquitted, including two lawyers.
The sentences were notably lighter than the prosecution’s demands of more than 450 years in total, partly because the court found that the “reasonable time” for trial had been exceeded due to repeated procedural delays. As HLN noted, the delays caused by recusal requests contributed to the reduced sentences.
Key Figures in the Appeal
Among those facing retrial are the three main figures from the first-instance proceedings. Willy Van Mechelen, the 83-year-old former gendarmerie officer, was convicted to 9 years. Tom Bastiaanse, known as the “Escobar of Kasterlee,” received 12 years. Geert Frisson, the former Bandidos motorcycle gang leader, was sentenced to 13 years.
Notably, Bastiaanse had accepted his sentence and did not intend to appeal. His lawyer, Dimitri de Béco, expressed frustration that the prosecution’s appeal means his client’s case must be reheard. “He was tired of the whole procedure after a very long pre-trial detention, and wanted to move forward and begin serving his sentence,” de Béco told VRT NWS. “For reasons I don’t know, the prosecution apparently decided to appeal, which I regret.”
New Criminal Code Applies
The appeal proceedings coincide with a significant legal development: Belgium’s new Criminal Code took effect on 1 September 2026, replacing the 1867 code. Since the facts of the Costa case predate the new code, the Court of Appeal must determine for each defendant which law - old or new - results in the most favorable sentence, as De Morgen reported.
Separated Cases
Three dossiers were separated during the trial and will be heard separately at a later date. These include the case against Lucio Aquino, who was extradited to Italy in connection with a major ‘ndrangheta mafia investigation, as well as his nephew and a third defendant.
What to Watch For
The appeal represents a significant additional chapter in what was already described as the largest drug case ever in Limburg and one of the biggest in Belgium. The investigation, which began in October 2019 with the discovery of 2,700 kg of cocaine in a container from Costa Rica, revealed four criminal organizations that collaborated to smuggle drugs from South America to Europe with an estimated street value of approximately 3.5 billion euros.
The retrial before the Court of Appeal in Antwerp will test whether the procedural issues that plagued the first-instance proceedings - including multiple recusal requests that caused six attempts to start the trial - will resurface. As de Béco noted, “the whole process must be done again, and certain procedural questions will inevitably arise again.”
For the defendants, the appeal offers another chance to challenge their convictions. For the prosecution, it represents an opportunity to seek harsher sentences than those imposed in July. The outcome will be closely watched as a bellwether for how Belgium handles its most complex and significant drug trafficking cases.