Albanian drug “boss” in Antwerp extradited from Dubai, Denis Dizdari sent to Belgian prison

Denis Matoshi (Dizdari), known by the aliases “Alduth” and “The Tall Albanian”, has been extradited from the United Arab Emirates to Belgium and is now being held in a Belgian prison.

The news was confirmed by Belgian Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden, who said the operation was carried out in cooperation with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates.

Matoshi, 37, is considered one of the leaders of the Albanian criminal organization “Kompania Bello” and was sentenced this year by Belgian justice to 10 years in prison and an €80,000 fine as part of the major “Yaramis” drug-trafficking case.

The court also ordered the confiscation of criminal proceeds worth €7.5 million attributed to him. Matoshi had lived in Dubai for years, but was arrested there about two years ago at the request of the Belgian authorities.

The Antwerp Prosecutor’s Office had requested his extradition so that he could personally attend the court proceedings related to his criminal activity.

According to the prosecution file, after the Yaramis clan lost its position at the Port of Antwerp due to internal conflicts and judicial investigations, Matoshi worked with Omar Govers and Najim EM.

Authorities suspect that the group organized the retrieval of cocaine shipments from quays 1700 and 1742 at the Port of Antwerp. In another case involving Omar Govers, communications decrypted from the Sky ECC network reportedly revealed that his associates also carried out two money transfers for Matoshi in 2020 and 2021. The total value of these transfers amounted to €1.75 million. The part of the case relating to Matoshi has been separated and will be examined at a later stage.

Matoshi left the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday and arrived several hours later at Melsbroek military airport in Belgium.

Immediately after his arrival, he was transferred to a Belgian prison. Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden made the extradition public through social media, stating that cooperation with the United Arab Emirates shows that “there are no safe havens for drug criminals”. The minister’s cabinet has provided no further details about Matoshi’s individual case.