Fugitive Belgian drug lord arrested in Berlin

The 48-year-old Belgian drug criminal Tom M. was arrested in the German capital of Berlin on Thursday, Dutch police said on Friday.

Tom M. still has to serve an eight-year prison sentence in Belgium and an 11-year sentence in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, he was convicted of trafficking in cocaine and heroin and money laundering.

"In recent years, the number of years in prison has increased due to new trials and convictions for importing large consignments of cocaine, including a conviction by the Belgian court," the Dutch police said.

Tom M, who was previously imprisoned in Dubai, had been on the run since September 2020, when he escaped during a raid on a Spanish villa. He had long been on Europol's most wanted list.

On Thursday, close cooperation between German, Belgian and Dutch police led to his arrest in Berlin, where he lived under a false identity. The German court must now decide whether M. will be extradited first to Belgium or the Netherlands.

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