TL;DR
- In July 2025, the UAE extradited Othman El Ballouti, dubbed the “Cocaine King,” to Belgium, along with two other high-profile criminals.
- El Ballouti was wanted for orchestrating large-scale cocaine trafficking through the Port of Antwerp and was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023.
- The extradition was carried out under the 2021 UAE-Belgium treaty, highlighting the UAE’s growing cooperation in international law enforcement.
In a major advance in international anti-narcotics efforts, authorities in the United Arab Emirates have extradited Othman El Ballouti, one of Europe’s most sought-after drug traffickers, to Belgium. The 38-year-old Belgian-Moroccan national, often referred to by investigators as the “Cocaine King,” was transferred into Belgian custody in July 2025, several months after his arrest in Dubai in December 2024.
His extradition was part of a broader international operation that also saw the handover of two other high-profile suspects, Matthias Akyazili and Georgi Faes, according to an announcement by the Dubai Media Office on Sunday. The move was made possible through a bilateral extradition agreement signed between the UAE and Belgium in 2021.
El Ballouti, who was on Interpol and Europol’s most wanted lists, is accused of orchestrating large-scale cocaine shipments into Europe through the Port of Antwerp, Belgium’s largest seaport and a major entry point for drugs from South America. His arrest was part of a coordinated international operation involving UAE law enforcement agencies and judicial cooperation bodies, including the Ministry of Justice's International Cooperation Department, which oversees extradition requests.
The UAE’s decision to approve his extradition marks a new phase in El Ballouti’s prosecution and demonstrates the country’s increasing role in cross-border law enforcement collaboration. With formal extradition procedures completed, Belgian authorities are preparing to take custody of a man long considered central to Europe’s narcotics crisis.
The Arrest in Dubai and the Path to Extradition
Othman El Ballouti was arrested in Dubai in December 2024, after an Interpol Red Notice was circulated internationally at Belgium’s request. He had evaded authorities for several years, operating from abroad while allegedly managing a criminal organization responsible for importing vast quantities of cocaine into Europe.
His arrest came after months of surveillance and intelligence sharing between Belgian authorities and the UAE. Once located in the UAE, a targeted operation was carried out by Dubai Police in coordination with the UAE Ministry of Justice, which later referred the case to the Dubai Public Prosecution for legal proceedings related to his extradition.
El Ballouti is accused of controlling a drug trafficking network that smuggled commercial-scale quantities of cocaine concealed within shipping containers arriving from South America. These containers passed through Antwerp’s port, which recorded a record 116 tonnes of cocaine seizures in 2023 alone, a figure emblematic of the scale of the European cocaine trade.
His criminal enterprise reportedly extended well beyond Belgium. In 2023, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on El Ballouti for running an "international criminal organization" involved in drug trafficking and money laundering. The sanctions also targeted his younger brother and another close associate, effectively freezing their US-based assets and cutting them off from the international financial system.
The US Treasury noted that El Ballouti’s network was responsible for facilitating the movement of cocaine across multiple jurisdictions and laundering illicit proceeds through a complex web of international channels. These sanctions significantly increased pressure on law enforcement worldwide to locate and detain him.
Tragically, El Ballouti’s name has also been tied to violence in Antwerp, which has seen a rise in drug-related shootings linked to turf wars. In one such incident, his 11-year-old niece was killed in a shooting, further fueling public concern over the escalating drug war in the city. Belgian media have since tied the event to feuds between rival criminal organizations with connections to drug trafficking operations in the port.
After his arrest in December 2024, Belgian authorities promptly initiated formal extradition proceedings under a bilateral treaty signed with the UAE in 2021 to strengthen cooperation in criminal cases. In July 2025, UAE authorities approved the request, and El Ballouti has since been extradited to Belgium, where he will face prosecution for his alleged role in a vast international drug trafficking network.
Understanding Extradition in the UAE: Laws, Procedures, and International Cooperation
The extradition of Othman El Ballouti from the UAE to Belgium has drawn attention to the country’s legal mechanisms for handling international criminal cooperation. As a growing hub of international commerce and transit, the UAE has developed a structured, legally robust framework for dealing with extradition requests, both incoming and outgoing, in compliance with global norms.
What Is Extradition?
Extradition is a legal process in which one country formally surrenders an individual to another country where the person is wanted, either for trial or to serve a sentence for a criminal offense. This international judicial cooperation helps ensure that individuals accused or convicted of serious crimes cannot evade justice by crossing borders.
Legal Framework Governing Extradition in the UAE
Extradition in the UAE is governed by a combination of domestic laws, bilateral and multilateral treaties, and international cooperation mechanisms.
Key Legal Instruments:
- Federal Law No. 39 of 2006 on Mutual Judicial Cooperation in Criminal Matters
- Federal Decree Law No. 28 of 2023, which introduced recent amendments to strengthen the framework
- Bilateral Extradition Treaties with individual countries, including Belgium
- Multilateral Agreements, such as:
- The Riyadh Arab Convention on Judicial Cooperation (1983), signed by Arab states including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen
- INTERPOL Membership, the UAE is one of 196 member countries of INTERPOL and complies with international alerts like Red Notices
UAE-Belgium Extradition Agreement
In December 2021, the UAE and Belgium signed two key agreements:
- An Extradition Treaty
- A Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty
These treaties provide the legal basis for extraditing individuals wanted in either country and facilitate cooperation in criminal investigations, evidence sharing, and prosecution.
Extradition Process in the UAE: Step-by-Step
The UAE follows a five-stage process for handling extradition requests, ensuring both legal compliance and the protection of individual rights. The process also allows for judicial review and appeals.
1. Alert and Submission of Request
- The process typically begins with an Interpol Red Notice or a direct extradition request from the foreign country via diplomatic channels.
- The request must include:
- The individual’s identity
- Details of the alleged crime
- The legal grounds for extradition
- Any supporting evidence
2. Review by UAE Authorities
- The UAE Ministry of Justice, the Public Prosecution, the Ministry of Interior, and the UAE Interpol authorities review the request.
- They assess whether the extradition meets several conditions:
- Is the person a UAE citizen?
- Does the offense qualify as extraditable under UAE law?
- Does the dual criminality principle apply (i.e., is the act also a crime in the UAE)?
Note: While dual criminality is respected, the law allows extradition even if the elements or name of the crime differ, as long as the core offense is punishable.
3. Judicial Review by UAE Courts
- If the authorities approve the request, the case is referred to the UAE Court of Appeal, which holds a hearing to determine:
- Whether due process is followed
- If the individual’s human rights would be at risk
- Whether the legal system of the requesting country is fair and just
- If all formal and procedural conditions are met
- The decision can be appealed to the Court of Cassation, the UAE’s highest judicial body
4. Final Ruling by the Ministry of Justice
- If the courts rule in favor of extradition, the Ministry of Justice issues the final decision.
- The ruling becomes binding and paves the way for the handover.
5. Transfer and Extraction
- The individual is formally handed over to the requesting country’s authorities via diplomatic and law enforcement channels.
- Transfer is coordinated securely and legally.
Grounds for Denying Extradition
Under Article 9 of the UAE Extradition Law, several specific legal grounds can be used to refuse an extradition request:
- The person is a UAE national (the UAE does not extradite its citizens but can prosecute them domestically for crimes committed abroad).
- The UAE has jurisdiction over the crime
- The offense is political in nature (except terrorism, genocide, war crimes, or crimes against the state)
- The offense is military in nature
- The extradition is sought for persecution based on race, religion, nationality, or political opinion
- The individual is already being investigated or tried in the UAE for the same offense
- The individual has already been convicted or acquitted in the UAE
- The offense is time-barred under UAE law
- There is a risk of torture, inhumane treatment, or disproportionate punishment in the requesting state
General Legal Requirements for Extradition Requests
The UAE may accept an extradition request if the following conditions are met:
- The offense is punishable by at least one year of imprisonment under the requesting country’s law
- If already convicted, the individual must have at least six months of their sentence remaining
- The act does not need to be defined identically under UAE law
- The name or label of the offense does not need to match exactly between both jurisdictions
UAE’s Growing Role in Global Judicial Cooperation
The UAE has increasingly established itself as a cooperative partner in combating transnational crime. Backed by a strong legal framework, a wide network of bilateral treaties with countries such as Belgium, France, the UK, India, the US, China, Australia, Spain, Iran, Egypt, and others, and a commitment to judicial independence, the UAE is well-equipped to handle complex extradition cases. This robust system enables swift and lawful responses to international criminal threats, as demonstrated by the high-profile extradition of Othman El Ballouti.
FAQs:
- Q Who is Othman El Ballouti?
He is a Belgian-Moroccan drug trafficker, nicknamed the “Cocaine King,” accused of smuggling large quantities of cocaine into Europe via Antwerp.
- Q. When and where was he arrested?
He was arrested in Dubai in December 2024 after an Interpol Red Notice was issued by Belgian authorities.
- Q. When was he extradited to Belgium?
El Ballouti was extradited from the UAE to Belgium in July 2025 following formal legal proceedings.
- Q. What made this extradition possible?
A bilateral extradition treaty signed between the UAE and Belgium in 2021 allowed for his legal handover after judicial and ministerial approvals.
- Q. What are the UAE’s extradition laws based on?
They are governed by Federal Law No. 39 of 2006 (amended in 2023), international treaties, and include conditions such as non-extradition of UAE nationals and human rights protections.
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