Owner of Maltese helicopter company convicted for massive drug trafficking…TM silent

Transport Malta has not taken any measures to protect Malta’s reputation as a credible aviation jurisdiction following the conviction of Belgium’s famous helicopter pilot, who was found guilty of being involved in extensive drug trafficking across Europe.

The pilot is a co-owner of a Maltese licensed company, which was issued its Air Operating Certificate by Transport Malta.

Luc Bertels, 61, from Nijlen in Belgium, received an eight-year prison sentence and a €322,000 fine by a Brussels criminal court for his involvement in the trafficking of some 300 kilos of cocaine, membership in a criminal organisation, and illegal possession of weapons.

The case, one of several Bertels is facing, dates back to 2023, just three years after Transport Malta issued him an operating licence to set up Helicopterflights Ltd, an international helicopter company operating flights across Europe.

Bertels owns the Maltese company, along with Heliventure FTO NV, a company he also owns, and two Belgian individuals.

Bertels’ company in Malta is registered in San Gwann and, according to its website, is still actively conducting flights all over Europe.

Aviation industry sources told The Shift that Transport Malta was aware of the “shady” past connected to this pilot long before he applied to relocate to Malta.

His name appeared in the media multiple times before his latest conviction. However, the sources said that the Civil Aviation Department “managed to find nothing in the supposed due diligence it conducted”.

Asked for a reaction to the latest news and to state what action is being taken to see that Malta’s reputation is not damaged, Transport Malta CEO Kurt Farrugia did not reply.

News reports in the Belgian media said that while the Belgian court did not find evidence that Bertels actually smuggled drugs by helicopter, it was established that he kept a criminal Belgian gang informed via Signal about the routes of police helicopters over the North Sea and the English Channel.

This was essential information for drug cartels to smuggle their drugs unhindered by law enforcement authorities.

“Telephone investigations show that Bertels had a thorough understanding of how the criminal drug organisation operated. He also had other contacts with drug gangs, and he didn’t hesitate to use his piloting skills and knowledge of air traffic to benefit a criminal organisation,” the court said.

His co-accused, drug ring leaders Rachid Bouthabout and his brother, Mohamed, received 13 and 15 years, respectively.

The Belgian pilot already had a negative track record when Transport Malta’s Civil Aviation Department, managed by Charles Pace, supposedly conducted due diligence before issuing its operating licence.

The 61-year-old pilot had been mentioned many times in the media over shady fights, and in 2021 was also convicted in Mechelen for drug trafficking from South Africa to Mauritania.  He avoided punishment because the case had dragged on too long.

Malta has been building a reputable international aviation industry for years, and this incident is being considered a serious dent in its efforts.