Antwerp, Belgium – A Belgian customs officer previously sentenced to five years in prison for drug importation and corruption has been acquitted by the court of appeal due to insufficient evidence.
The case, which stemmed from the massive Sky ECC encrypted messaging bust, had initially linked the officer to criminal activity, but further investigation cleared him of wrongdoing.
The officer, a 60-year-old referred to as D.M., worked at the port of Antwerp, one of Europe’s busiest entry points for goods.
His case was one of many that emerged following the Belgian authorities’ breakthrough in decrypting Sky ECC, a messaging service widely used by criminal organizations.
Authorities had intercepted messages from notorious drug trafficker Tom Michielsen, which suggested that a customs officer had been bribed to allow a drug-laden container to pass through the port undetected.
One key intercepted message read: “The job is done, I stayed away from your container, but it’s going to be expensive.”
Investigators initially attributed this message to D.M., leading to his arrest in the summer of 2022. He spent three weeks in prison before being placed under house arrest.
In December 2023, he was convicted of facilitating the importation of cannabis, heroin, and opium, as well as passive bribery.
The conviction carried a five-year prison sentence and a hefty fine of €56,000. However, D.M. consistently maintained his innocence and pursued an appeal, arguing that he was not the individual using the encrypted messaging device in question.
Following additional investigative efforts, the court of appeal ruled in favor of D.M., concluding that it could not be definitively proven that he was the user of the Sky ECC device linked to the alleged bribery.
Press magistrate Els De Brauwer confirmed the ruling: “After additional investigation, the court ruled that it had not been proven that D. was the user of the SKY ECC device that was used during the import.”
The Public Prosecution Service, which had initially pursued the case against D.M., ultimately supported his acquittal in light of the new evidence.
The appeal court’s decision followed their recommendation, reinforcing that the evidence against him was insufficient for conviction.
Despite his legal victory, D.M.’s career path has been permanently altered. While he is expected to return to work as a customs officer, he will no longer be stationed at the port of Antwerp, a move likely aimed at avoiding future complications.
The case is part of a broader revelation of corruption within Belgium’s legal and logistical sectors, as exposed by the Sky ECC investigation.
The decryption of the encrypted network unveiled deep-rooted criminal infiltration within customs, law enforcement, shipping companies, and even the judiciary.
Numerous employees, including logistics workers, port warehouse owners, lawyers, customs officials, and police officers, have been implicated in corruption scandals tied to drug trafficking.
D.M.’s acquittal underscores the complexities of such cases and highlights the challenges faced by authorities in proving corruption allegations amid widespread criminal networks.
Meanwhile, investigations into corruption at the port of Antwerp continue as law enforcement seeks to dismantle organized crime’s grip on the country’s trade hub.
This article was created using automation technology and was thoroughly edited and fact-checked by one of our editorial staff members
