A senior Congolese diplomat based in Brussels has been arrested in Bulgaria after allegedly attempting to smuggle over 200 kilograms of cocaine in a van bearing diplomatic license plates.
The arrest has triggered international scrutiny due to the suspect’s diplomatic status and the scale of the drug haul.
Jean De Dieu Mutebwa Mulumba, second secretary at the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) embassy in Brussels, was detained on Friday at the Kapitan Andreevo crossing on the Bulgarian-Turkish border. According to police reports reviewed by Agence France-Presse (AFP), his vehicle was carrying five suitcases packed with cocaine, each weighing approximately 40 kilograms.
As reported by Le Parisien, authorities believe this was not an isolated incident, with investigators believing Mutebwa had made the same journey between Western Europe and Turkey five times over the past year. Prosecutors describe the operation as a “well-established modus operandi,” with increasingly large shipments exploiting the immunity granted to diplomatic vehicles, which are “generally not checked.”
Mutebwa claimed during questioning that he was traveling to Sofia to shop for his wife and was unaware of the suitcase contents. He was accompanied by a 54-year-old Belgian woman — identified as the widow of a diplomat — who initially said the suitcases contained gold. A 43-year-old Bulgarian man, alleged to be the organizer of the operation, was also arrested.
All three face charges that could lead to up to 20 years in prison under Bulgarian law.
The cocaine, thought to have originated in Latin America, was likely intended for Western European markets. Bulgaria’s position along key trafficking routes linking Turkey and the European Union has made it an increasingly strategic location in the booming global cocaine trade, which is reaching record highs.
Mutebwa’s arrest has also drawn attention in the DRC, particularly because of his previous marriage to the daughter of François Beya, the former special security adviser to President Félix Tshisekedi. In a statement issued following the news, as cited by French-language Congolese news site Le Potentiel, the Beya family clarified that Mutebwa has not been married to their daughter for three years and strongly condemned the alleged crimes.
#RDC:
C’est avec effroi que la Famille Beya a appris l’arrestation de Monsieur Mulumba Jean de Dieu pour des faits graves qu’elle déplore avec la plus grande fermeté. La Famille Beya précise que Monsieur Mulumba n’est plus marié à leur fille depuis maintenant trois ans.… pic.twitter.com/CYIrDRHnwv
— Steve Wembi (@wembi_steve) July 21, 2025
“The Beya family deplores this arrest for serious offenses with the greatest firmness,” the statement read, while also objecting to any attempt to associate them with the incident.
Bulgaria has launched a full investigation into the trafficking operation, with authorities working to determine the extent of the smuggling network and the role played by diplomatic channels in facilitating it.
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