Hasselt (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The 36-year-old Brussels resident arrested at the Extrema Noir dance event in Trixxo Arena last December faces potential punishment, including eighteen months behind bars and an 8,000 euro fine.
The 36-year-old Brussels resident received an 18-month prison term and €8,000 fine when police found drugs on him at the Extrema Noir dance festival in Hasselt’s Trixxo Arena in December 2023. During an interview, the man confessed to buying large quantities of drugs before sharing them with multiple friends, including his brother, without any financial benefit.
The police found the man with a fanny pack containing speed and ecstasy pills while breaking up a festival fight around 5 a.m. on December 21, 2023. He confessed the drugs were for individual consumption and confessed he followed the same pattern at a summer celebration when he charged visitors €5 for each ecstasy pill and €20-€30 for speed doses. The public prosecutor requested a supervised probationary period and drug treatment as part of his sentencing advice. Peter Donné represented the defendant as his lawyer. He requested a 6-month reduction in sentence that would amount to serving only 2 months after pre-trial detention while seeking a deferment of both the remaining sentence and the related fine.
“This man is not the dealer with the big money. In the hip bag were only two 5 euro notes and a 10 euro note. If he was a real dealer, he would have started selling as soon as he got inside. I consider him a ‘dealer light'”,
According to Donné.
“He used drugs during entertainment trips with his brother and friends.”
The verdict will follow on April 10.
What is the history of drug-related incidents at music festivals?
Drug incidents at Extrema Noir in Hasselt and other music festivals happen regularly. Since 2022, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) has documented a steady rise in drug confiscations across Belgium, which mostly detected ecstasy and amphetamines in nightclub settings and festivals. In 2021, Belgian law enforcement agents confiscated more than 1.2 million ecstasy pills while experiencing a notable growth compared to prior years.
Law enforcement enhances festival surveillance as part of their drug abuse centres’ role by actively conducting security operations to prevent criminal activities.
Previous drug incidents at the Trixxo Arena show evidence of a widespread drug-related trend throughout Europe. The Global Drug Survey published findings in 2023 showing that Europeans attending festivals during 2023 disclosed they used illegal drugs at a rate of 30%.
