Massive Profits Alleged by Investigators
Belgium has launched a high-security trial against Flor Bressers, who prosecutors claim masterminded one of Europe’s most profitable cocaine supply chains. They argue Bressers earned about €230m through ten separate deliveries, while Brazilian defendant Sérgio Roberto de Carvalho allegedly accumulated nearly €200m. Altogether, authorities estimate the network’s 30 accused members generated close to €500m in illicit revenue.
2020 Rotterdam Haul at the Center of Charges
The investigation was set in motion when Dutch customs officers in Rotterdam uncovered 3.2 tonnes of cocaine disguised within a manganese ore shipment in 2020. Officials say the find exposed a far-reaching smuggling structure that used maritime trade to funnel narcotics into Europe. Due to security concerns, the case is being heard at the fortified Justitia site in Brussels instead of Bruges.
Arrests Spanning Multiple Countries
Bressers was arrested in Zurich in February 2022 and extradited to Belgium later that year. De Carvalho was taken into custody in Hungary in 2023. Among those also standing trial are a Dutch lawyer and a former banker from London, both accused of laundering proceeds from the trade. Defence representatives are expected to dispute the prosecution’s calculations and deny that their clients directed the organisation.
