Police dismantle network selling semi-automatic firearms in Brussels
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The federal judicial police have dismantled a network that imported and sold counterfeit semi-automatic firearms in Brussels in recent months. Sixteen people were arrested, nine of whom were charged and remanded in custody.
Police seized around 90 counterfeit semi-automatic firearms, eight vehicles and almost 27,000 euros in cash, the Brussels public prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.
A months-long investigation by the police's Major Banditry department revealed that the network had set up its main distribution point in Brussels, supplying customers in Belgium and abroad.
Links to criminal groups abroad
"The seized weapons, although illegally manufactured, are highly sought after in criminal circles today because they are difficult to trace and widely available on the black market," the public prosecutor's office said.
Investigators also discovered close links with other criminal groups abroad, enabling the transportation of weapons across borders.
With the support of the Special Units, federal police investigators arrested sixteen people last Sunday and Monday, nine of whom were charged with membership of a criminal organisation, possession of weapons and ammunition, and sale of firearms.
Tackling shootings in Brussels
"The number of shooting incidents, sometimes fatal, has increased in Brussels," said public prosecutor Julien Moinil. "Whether in cases linked to drug trafficking or other criminal offences, the use of firearms has become far too frequent," he added.
The Brussels public prosecutor's office has made tackling shooting incidents in the Belgian capital one of its priorities, said Moinil. "This operation proves that: we are targeting these networks and will continue to do so," he said.
© BELGA PHOTO HATIM KAGHAT
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