Dubai arrests alleged cocaine trafficker linked to international smuggling ring

Othman El Ballouti, a suspected drug trafficker linked to an international cocaine smuggling operation through the Belgian port of Antwerp, has been arrested in Dubai, authorities confirmed on Monday.

El Ballouti, 37, was apprehended following an international arrest warrant issued by Belgian authorities. The arrest follows sanctions imposed by the U.S. in 2023, which identified him as a "high-level drug trafficker" involved in major drug trafficking and money laundering operations.

Dubai police handed El Ballouti over to the Dubai Public Prosecution for legal proceedings related to his potential extradition.

It is unclear whether El Ballouti has retained legal counsel. He is believed to have been living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a federation of seven sheikhdoms that includes Abu Dhabi, and was reportedly residing in a luxury apartment complex near the Burj Khalifa in downtown Dubai, at the time the U.S. sanctions were imposed.

The U.S. Treasury linked him to an international criminal organization that smuggles large quantities of cocaine via shipping containers through Antwerp, with the drugs distributed across Europe.

According to the U.S. Treasury, El Ballouti's network also involves money laundering operations tied to Chinese businesses and South American cocaine suppliers.

The UAE, which currently holds the presidency of the international policing body, Interpol, has faced increasing scrutiny over its handling of money laundering and reluctance to extradite suspects.

The scrutiny has grown amid the influx of Russian capital into the UAE in the wake of Moscow’s war on Ukraine. Despite this, the UAE has made several high-profile arrests for extradition purposes, responding to international pressure.

El Ballouti's arrest comes amid a wave of global cocaine busts. Just days earlier, Russian authorities reported the arrest of suspected members of a Colombian drug cartel attempting to smuggle tens of millions of dollars worth of cocaine into Europe. In the Dominican Republic, authorities seized nearly 9.5 tons of cocaine hidden in a banana shipment at the country's busiest seaport.

Meanwhile, in Portugal, police dismantled what they called one of the largest cocaine laboratories in Europe, leading to seven arrests and the confiscation of 1,500 kilograms of cocaine.

In late November, police across the Balkans arrested 11 individuals tied to a syndicate smuggling cocaine from South America to Europe. Additionally, the Colombian Navy, in a multinational effort, seized over 225 metric tons of cocaine in a six-week operation that uncovered a new Pacific trafficking route from South America.