Alleged cocaine trafficker at center of international smuggling operation arrested in Dubai
Associated PressDUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An alleged drug trafficker wanted in connection with an international drug smuggling operation through the Belgian port of Antwerp has been arrested, Dubai police said Monday. “El Ballouti has been handed over to Dubai Public Prosecution for legal proceedings related to extradition,” a police statement said. He was sanctioned in 2023 by the U.S. Treasury which described him as “a high-level drug trafficker.” “El Ballouti manages an international criminal organization that smuggles significant quantities of cocaine via shipping containers through the port of Antwerp in Belgium for wider distribution throughout Europe,” the Treasury Department said at the time. “Othman El Ballouti’s money laundering and narcotics supply chain networks are linked to businesses based in the People’s Republic of China, as well as South American cocaine suppliers.” At the time of the sanctions being issued, the U.S. made a point to list El Ballouti’s address as a high-end apartment complex in downtown Dubai, near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
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