Nordin El Hajjioui, a Belgian of Moroccan origin, is considered to be one of the main drug lords in Antwerp. The 36-year-old was arrested for the first time in Dubai at the request of Belgian justice in 2020, then released, before further incarceration last year.
He contested his surrender to Belgium but a high Emirati court gave the green light to his extradition at the beginning of March, signifying the exhaustion of all appeals. He is wanted by the AntwerP public prosecutor's office in three international cocaine trafficking cases.