Justice
Two people were arrested in our country last week for trading 3D-printed weapons in chat groups on the Dark Web. Nine people were also arrested in France. According to the Leuven public prosecutor’s office, this is one of the biggest police successes in the fight against 3D arms trade and production.
The Federal Judicial Police Leuven was informed by the French authorities in August 2023 about an investigation they were conducting into 3D-printed weapons that were traded in chat groups on the dark web. Their investigation showed that several packages containing weapon parts were sent to a home in Oud-Heverlee. Moreover, it turned out that the central figure, a 26-year-old man with French nationality, was now somewhere in Leuven.
The Leuven public prosecutor’s office also decided to start an investigation. After several months of intensive investigation, the Leuven Federal Judicial Police was able to find out at which location the main suspect was living in hiding and from where he produced the illegal weapons.
pledges
Together with the French authorities and Europol, simultaneous house searches were carried out in France and Belgium on January 29. In our country this was in Leuven and Oud-Heverlee. Two people were arrested during the Belgian house searches. Both suspects, an 18-year-old woman from Leuven and a 26-year-old man from France, were arrested by the investigating judge.
An illegal weapons workshop was found in the home where the couple stayed. During the raid, the 3D printer was actively printing penguns (firearms in the shape of a ballpoint pen). Dozens of metal and plastic weapon parts, as well as ready-to-use 3D firearms were seized.
“Rare”
The council chamber confirmed the arrest of the woman. France requested the extradition of the 26-year-old man, he will appear before the council chamber on Friday with a view to a European arrest warrant for extradition to France.
Nine people were arrested in France, mainly buyers of illegal firearms.
The Leuven public prosecutor’s office reports that the joint operation can be considered one of the biggest police successes in the fight against 3D arms trafficking and production in Europe. During a press conference on Monday evening, the public prosecutor’s office and the police confirmed that it is not the first time that such 3D-printed weapons have been found in Belgium, but “it is still rare, especially of this order of magnitude”.
