Fugitive arms dealer Jacques Monsieur detained in Portugal
The Belgian arms dealer Jacques Monsieur has been arrested in Portugal. The Federal Police Het Fugitive Active Search Team (FAST) was able to track down the 66-year-old that was sentenced to 4 years in prison and fined 1.2 million euro by the Court of Appeal in Brussel on 19 October 2018 for his involvement in a criminal organisation. He has been on the run ever since and was the subject of an international arrest warrant.
The Federal Police FAST team tracked Jacques Monsieur down to Tarascon in the south of France, where he owned a property. The property, a farm, was sold in March of this year.
The fugitive arms dealer also owns a large number of horses. Last month detectives discovered that a French horse breeder had transported nine horses from France to Portugal. However, Jacques Monsieur had never paid the 2,500 euro owed for the transport costs. This proved to be an invaluable clue for detectives in their search for Jacques Monsieur. It led them to Evora in southeast Portugal.
Close cooperation between the Belgian, French and Portuguese police services lead to Jacques Monsieur being trace and arrested.
He will appear in court in Portugal later today. The Federal Judicial Authorities have issued a European arrest warrant and have asked the Portuguese authorities to send Jacques Monsieur back to Belgium.