Two men from Hasselt, aged 44 and 49, were convicted on Thursday in Hasselt of selling cannabis along with cocaine, speed and ecstasy.[1] The two had long struggled with addiction, met in a care centre for addicts, and then moved in together and began dealing drugs.[1] The older man was already sentenced in Hasselt in March 2026 for selling narcotics, and dealt again with his housemate between late May and 5 July 2026.[1]
On 4 July the 49-year-old was caught in a police check and tried to swallow a dose of cocaine, and messages on his phone implicated the other defendant.[1] A house search found 72 ecstasy pills, 28 grams of speed and just under 8 grams of cocaine, and the two men carried a flick knife and two hunting knives respectively.[1]
The older man admitted dealing but said the drugs were mainly for his own use, that he occasionally gave some away and that he earned nothing from it.[1] The prosecutor said the man had been given a suspended prison term with conditions in March and had done nothing with it, and that a firm signal was needed.[1] The 44-year-old denied any part in the selling and said they had met at Katarsis, a care centre for addicts, and that he was asked to provide an address and needed help paying his rent.[1]
The 49-year-old was sentenced to 20 months in prison, suspended except for the time he had already spent in pretrial detention, and to a 10,000 euro fine, suspended, with conditions including treatment for his addiction, avoiding the drug scene and a meaningful daily activity.[1] His 44-year-old housemate was sentenced to 150 hours of community service, with a one-year prison term if he does not complete it, and to a 10,000 euro fine, suspended.[1] The court took into account that both men were making efforts to stop using drugs when it set the sentences.[1]
