3 days ago
Dubai Police arrest and extradite fugitives wanted for trafficking in Belgium
Dubai Police have arrested and extradited three alleged Belgian crime gang members facing human and drug trafficking charges in their home country.
The three suspects — Mathias Akyazili, Giorgi Faes and Othman El Ballouti — were listed in the most-wanted category by the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).
Dubai Media Office said on Sunday that the three men were held based on Interpol red notices issued against them, in an operation carried out by police in Dubai in close co-ordination with international law enforcement agencies.
The trio have been handed over to authorities in their native Belgium, where they are accused of serious cross-border crimes, including operating a gang, trafficking narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, committing robbery and engaging in human trafficking.
Their extradition followed a Dubai Police investigation, conducted in co-ordination with the Ministry of Interior and led by the General Department of Criminal Investigation, in response to an international arrest warrant submitted by Belgian authorities to the International Co-operation Department at the UAE Ministry of Justice.
"All required legal and judicial formalities were duly complied with before proceeding with the extradition request," Dubai Media Office said.
