Belgian police arrest French drug lord in Brussels

Kamel N., a drug lord from the French city of Marseille, was arrested in Brussels on Tuesday. The arrest was made by FAST (Fugitive Active Search Team) in close cooperation with the French police. Two European arrest warrants had been issued for Kamel N., including after he was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

The news was originally reported by TF1 and confirmed by the federal police. According to the French broadcaster, the drug lord led the drug gang in 'La Maurelette', a district of Marseille, for many years. Between 2015 and 2018, he waged a bloody turf war against another drug gang in the French port city.

Kamel N. is said to have had a virtual monopoly on drug and cocaine trafficking in Marseille during this period. The man had been on the run for several years, but continued to direct and manage his drug network from afar, TF1 reported.

On Tuesday, he was arrested in an apartment near Brussels-South station. Identifying the man was not easy because he presented false identity documents and had undergone plastic surgery.

^{© BELGA PHOTO LOU LAMPAERT}