Dubai Police Arrest 3 Belgians Wanted By Interpol For Organised Crime

Dubai Police have arrested and extradited three Belgian nationals wanted in connection with serious cross-border organised crime cases, Dubai Media Office said on Sunday, July 13.

The suspects - Matthias Akyazili, Georgi Faes, and Othman El Ballouti - are listed under the most-wanted category by both the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol).

They face a series of major criminal charges , including leading operating a notorious gang, trafficking narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, robbery, and human trafficking.

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The arrests were carried out based on Interpol-issued red notices, and came as part of a targeted operation by Dubai authorities. The operation was the result of a highly coordinated investigation between Dubai Police, the UAE Ministry of Interior, and Belgian law enforcement agencies.

The operation was led by the General Department of Criminal Investigation in Dubai, following an official international arrest warrant submitted through the UAE's Ministry of Justice, the country's central authority for international cooperation requests.

After fulfilling all necessary legal and judicial procedures, the suspects were swiftly extradited to Belgium.

Following the arrest and extradition of the suspects, Belgian authorities praised the swift action taken by the UAE Ministry of Interior, highlighting the importance of international cooperation in tackling cross-border crime.

In a phone call between Annelies Verlinden, Belgium's Minister of Justice, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Sultan Al Nuaimi, the UAE's Minister of Justice, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the rule of law and strengthening judicial collaboration. The ministers noted that such operations reflect the shared resolve of both countries to combat organised crime, drug trafficking, and other serious cross-border offences.

This successful operation comes in the wake of two landmark legal agreements signed in December 2021 between the UAE and Belgium, covering extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters.

The agreements, which officially came into effect in November 2022, were signed by Sheikh Abdullah bin Sultan Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice, and Vincent Van Quickenborne, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and the North Sea.

The latest arrest and extradition adds to the UAE's growing record of successful international law enforcement cooperation.

In June 2025, the UAE arrested Vitaliy Pirlog , a Moldovan national and former Interpol Commission member, wanted by French authorities on corruption, fraud, and bribery charges.

In May 2025, an alleged top member of an Irish transnational gang was charged in Dublin with murder and directing organised crime after his extradition from the UAE.

Sean McGovern, 39, who was arrested at his Dubai home in October last year, had been described by Irish police as the right-hand man of Irish cartel boss Daniel Kinahan.

McGovern, who had been living in Dubai for several years, is the first Kinahan cartel member to be arrested in Dubai, and is the first person ever extradited to Ireland from the UAE.

In February, the UAE said it extradited a wanted French criminal Mehdi Charafa , back to France, where he was charged for drug-related offences.

In January this year, the UAE detained Abdul Rahman Al Qaradawi at Lebanon's request. He faced charges of engaging in activities that aim to stir and undermine public security.

Meanwhile, in November last year, Dubai Police arrested William Pereira Rogatto, a Brazilian national, who is on the Interpol Red Notice lists for his involvement in fraud in his country, according to a social media post by the authority.

Rogatto manipulated the results of football matches and exploited them to achieve illegal gains through bets he made on international sports betting sites.

In September 2024, a Filipino accused of sexually exploiting more than 100 children back in the Philippines was arrested in the UAE and had since then been extradited.

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