The Civil Guard and Belgian federal police have arrested a Belgian national wanted in 31 countries, including Spain, over alleged leadership of a major drug trafficking network. The arrest, carried out in Badalona as part of Operation Dede, marks the culmination of an international manhunt following his escape from justice in Belgium.
The investigation began in 2025 when Belgian authorities launched Operation Liberty Leaf, targeting large-scale cannabis shipments from the United States to Antwerp. During earlier phases, 28 searches were conducted in Belgium, leading to the seizure of drugs, weapons, and cash, and the imprisonment of several network members. The suspect, identified as the alleged ringleader, fled Belgium while facing a 15-year prison sentence and had been hiding in Barcelona’s Sants district since mid-2025.
With support from collaborators, he used false documentation, encrypted mobile phones, and protected transport to evade capture. Civil Guard officers tracked him to the Sant Roc area of Badalona, where he was apprehended carrying 3,000 euros in cash, luxury watches, and forged identity papers. Fingerprint verification confirmed his identity.
Extradition Ordered
“He told us that he knew why he was being arrested, and that he felt relieved because he had been through several months of intense stress,”
, said a Civil Guard officer familiar with a previous case involving a high-profile Belgian drug suspect on the run in Spain, reflecting the psychological toll of life in hiding.
The detainee has been placed under judicial custody and ordered to be extradited to Belgium. The Central Investigating Court of the Audiencia Nacional has approved his imprisonment pending transfer, in coordination with Belgian authorities who led the initial investigation.
Regional Pattern of Fugitives
This arrest underscores Catalonia’s role as a transit and hiding point for high-value international fugitives. In past operations, Spanish law enforcement has apprehended Belgian nationals linked to drug networks on the Costa del Sol and at motorway service areas, often after prolonged manhunts supported by Interpol alerts.
Belgian federal police report that drug-related investigations consume the largest share of their operational resources, with nearly 20 tonnes of marijuana seized at the Port of Antwerp alone in the current year.
Reported by beteve.cat, Patricia Ortega Dolz, europapress.es, Alejandro Hernández, NTOMBI NKOSI, belganewsagency.eu, infobae.com, occrp.org, Ted Regencia, betevé.
