The trial concerns the organization of the extraction of clandestine shipments of cocaine in the port of Antwerp or other European ports. The drugs arrived from South America and transited through Belgium, where they were extracted from the shipments in which they were hidden. It was then routed to the Calabrian mafia.
The 24 defendants are aged between 30 and 75 and are accused of importing, exporting, manufacturing and possession of drugs, participation in a criminal organization, forgery and possession of weapons.
Sentences of up to 20 years in prison have been sought against the alleged leaders. A 38-year-old Kosovar, alleged corrupter of the port of Antwerp, risks a 15-year prison sentence. His lawyer, Me Mathieu Simonis, requested that the prosecution be inadmissible.
He questions the legality of telephone tapping carried out on SkyECC encrypted messaging. His argument, unlike that of the prosecution, concerned the renewal of the investigating judge’s authorizations regarding the interception of private communications. These authorizations had not been renewed.
“I consulted a Source who is neither a professor of criminal procedure nor connected to the case. It is a neutral Source which has analyzed the legislation and which indicates that authorizations must be renewed on time.“, affirmed the lawyer. He then revealed that he had consulted ChatGPT anecdotally and had produced the document which contains the questions asked and the answers provided.
Pleadings continue in court, with the defendants contesting the significance of their involvement and role.
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