Maldegem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Ghent court has sentenced a drug leader, Kristof D., to 13 years for torturing a 17-year-old boy in Maldegem over a 340 kg cocaine theft; co-leader Jonas W. got 5 years.
As VRT News reported, Kristof D., one of the main leaders of a violent drug gang, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison in Ghent court for torturing a 17-year-old boy in Maldegem, a municipality in the province of East Flanders, Belgium, and other crimes linked to organised drug trafficking in Belgium.
Jonas W., another person of the group, was given 5 years in this trial. Jonas W. had already been sentenced earlier in January to 15 years for kidnapping and torturing a Dutch drug dealer accused of stealing narcotics. In total, 20 people connected to the gang were brought before the court.
They all received punishments, with some receiving suspended sentences and others receiving prison sentences up to 13 years. While the prosecutors requested 22 years for both principal defendants, the ultimate sentences were substantially less.
What led to the torture of a Maldegem teen over 340kg of cocaine?
Police worked for months to find the people who tortured a 17-year-old boy in Maldegem. They looked at videos from the hospital where the boy was taken after the attack. This helped them find some suspects, and they arrested 4 people.
Kristof D. was thought to be the one who told them to torture the boy. He was wanted by police in every country around the world and was believed to be hiding out in Dubai. However, they tracked him down in the Philippines and returned him to Belgium for trial.
A case of torture occurred in April 2022 on a farm located in Maldegem, Belgium. A 17-year-old boy was tortured badly by the people of a drug gang. Officials said that the farm looked normal from the outside, but it was also used to hide cocaine.
The gang members cut off his left ear, damaged the tendons in one of his hands, and even cut off part of one of his toes. They stated that these acts were intended to cause him not only physical harm, but they were also purposeful means for intimidation or punishment; the gang thought he was going against their rules or betraying them.
The 17-year-old victim stayed silent and did not give any statements to police. He also did not take part in the legal case. According to officials, on his back, he had a tattoo of 3 owls, which stood for “hear nothing, see nothing, say nothing.” Above the owls was the word “omertà,” a well-known term for the rule of silence often used by criminal groups like the Mafia.
Police later carried out a deep investigation using security camera footage, house searches, and phone records. They were able to learn how the gang worked. The group used many buildings to store cocaine, and these places were guarded all the time by members of the gang.
A 17-year-old boy was watching over a warehouse in Maldegem. Inside were drugs and weapons. Another gang broke in and took 340 kilos of cocaine and some guns. The gang leaders thought the boy had told the other gang where the drugs were. They believed he gave them information. So, they torture him badly. They wanted to punish him and scare others.
