Ghent Court Convicts Chinese Gang for Possession of 2 Tons of Cannabis

Ghent (Eurotoday) – A court in Ghent has convicted a Chinese drug trafficking ring responsible for sending two tons of cannabis via postal services to locations in Drongen (Ghent) and Nazareth. The leader of the network was sentenced to eight years in prison, while other individuals involved received suspended prison sentences.

The Chinese criminal group orchestrated cannabis shipments to Belgium using parcels, with the majority of confiscations occurring in the Ghent suburbs of Drongen and Nazareth. The court handed down an eight-year prison sentence to the ringleader, while the remaining defendants were given sentences without effective detention.

The investigation began after authorities tracked suspicious parcels from Spain that were delivered to a woman residing in Drongen in late 2022. This led investigators to her brother in Nazareth, where further evidence linked him to the smuggling operation. During the legal proceedings, the court ordered the forfeiture of €4.5 million in assets tied to the main suspect.

“That calculation is made by the police, but we dispute that it is such a large amount,”

said his lawyer, Tim Smet.

“All the other parties involved also question the amount,”

added Smet.

“They also counted a number of packages that our clients say they had nothing to do with.”

According to Smet, his client consistently claimed to have played only a minor role in a broader criminal operation.

“But now all the amounts are being charged to him.”

How is drug trafficking evolving in Belgium and the Ghent region?

Belgium continues to confront a worsening drug trafficking crisis, with cannabis remaining among the top seized substances. Europol’s 2021 report identifies Belgium as a central hub for drug transits in Europe, notably through the port of Antwerp. In the Ghent area, authorities have reported rising incidences of narcotics interceptions, with postal and parcel shipping increasingly being used by traffickers.

In 2022, Belgian customs officials seized over 50 tons of cannabis—an increase of 15% compared to the previous year. Within the same year, more than 200 drug-related convictions were recorded in the Ghent judicial district. Criminal groups are turning to international postal delivery systems to avoid traditional detection methods.

A 2023 study by the National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology (NICC) highlighted the growing presence of Chinese criminal organisations in Belgium. These groups are reportedly collaborating with European networks to expand their distribution channels.

In Drongen and Nazareth, local law enforcement has observed a pattern mirroring national trends: multiple smuggling operations using private residences for drug deliveries. Between 2020 and 2023, East Flanders police intercepted over 1.2 tons of cannabis sent primarily from Spain through postal packages.

The €4.5 million in assets confiscated from the main defendant reflects Belgium’s more aggressive stance on financial enforcement in drug-related cases. Across the country, authorities seized drug-related assets worth €32 million in 2022 alone, underscoring the scale and persistence of organised narcotics trafficking in the region.