In one of nearly 250 videos that transformed suspected Belgian criminal ‘Frank De Tank’ into a Tik tok celebrity while living in Kenya titled, “When the police knock at the door to arrest me,” a bell rings and the bald, heavily tattooed body builder hides behind a curtain.
With such silly antics, ‘Frank De Tank’ who was operating in Kenya and on Tiktok as ‘Frank Murugi,’ quickly built a following of more than 1.1 million on the social media platform catapulting him to the league of internet influencers.
In a country Tik tok is quickly gaining momentum as the go-to social media platform, especially among urban youth looking for celebrity status, it was easy for Frank, 42, to blend in.
He is white, can speak Kiswahili and his videos were mostly shot in the coastal sandy beaches with his 22-year-old Kenyan girlfriend playing supporting cast.
In one video titled “How to Keep an African Woman Happy,” he showers his girlfriend with dollars.
“Give her money, continue to give her money, never stop giving her money and if you are broke, introduce her to someone with money,” the Belgian says.
This video was posted in April last year, three years after Frank De Tank arrived in Nairobi after posting “I think I am at a wrong place,” on Tik tok while in Antwerp, Belgium, in February 2017.
It had garnered more than 6.7 million views by last evening.
However, beneath the internet showoffs and clamour for celebrity status, Frank – who this week flew back to home to face charges as a prime suspect in one of the biggest drug trafficking cases in Belgium – was running away from something.
According to Belgian press, Frank and his friend-turned- enemy El Hajjioui Nordin, were the suspected leaders of a gang that trafficked more than 2,000 tonnes of cocaine between 2015 to 2016.
At that time, Frank – a father of two with his now Belgian former girlfriend, who is also a suspect in the case – was a low level dock worker in Antwerp.
Noordin, who was the head of the syndicate known as Morroccan gang and a second one known as Albanian gang was operating from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Belgian prosecutors say it is Noordin, who was last year sentenced in absentia to 40 years in prison but is still hiding in Dubai, that hired Frank.
“For more than a year, three requests for the extradition of El Hajjioui Noordin have been sent by our country to the United Arab Emirates. All requests were rejected,” reported Belgian media outlet Channel 7.
Authorities then turned the heat on his Belgian accomplices starting with Frank.
For his role in getting cocaine to the shores of Antwerp, authorities believe Frank could have pocketed up to €3 million (Sh388 million).
With his knowledge of Antwerp harbours, Frank’s job was to look for the right people to fish up the drugs that had been dropped on the English Channel and deliver them to gangs on the mainland.
One delivery would earn him up to €400,000 (Sh52 million).
While most criminals prefer to remain invisible, Frank De Tank was the opposite.
On his Facebook and Instagram pages, which have since been taken down, he often posted photos in exotic locations surrounded by women in bikinis and expensive cars.
In Belgium, where he was part of an outfit known as “The Antwerp Expendables” Frank tested the power of his fast cars on the streets while broadcasting live videos on social media.
With such publicity stunts that did not correspond with Frank’s income at the port, it was easy for police to conclude that he was involved in something sinister.
Things came to a head when two men, believed to have been sent by Noordin and armed with AK-47s, fired rounds and threw Molotov cocktails at Frank’s apartment over a deal gone sour in early 2017.
Apparently, Noordin had reportedly paid €400,000 to Frank in late 2016 for successful distribution of drugs.
The mules hired to transport the narcotics are said to have disappeared after receiving a down payment.
Frank refused to refund the money to Noordin, saying he had incurred costs.
Frustrated, Noordin is said to have sent two assassins to Frank’s apartment.
Frank was arrested shortly after the attempt on his life. He confessed to his role in the drugs syndicate during interrogation.
“He gave information about seven pulls, but only spoke about his part. He did not want to give the identities of others. We were able to identify the people he called ‘Person A’ or ‘Strapper 1’ through other testimonials or investigations,” prosecutors said when the trial began on Friday.
“My client does not want to hide,” Frank’s lawyer, John Maes, said.
“He is available for all possible questions from the court. He is also done with criminal life.”
The trial looks like a formality and could earn Frank nine to 12 years in prison.
The three years preceding the events at the Antwerp courtroom have been a rollercoaster for Frank, which perhaps explains why he ended up in Kenya.
Shortly after word came out that Frank was cooperating with Belgian police after his arrest, a list circulated in Antwerp with his name on it and a message “Death to the informants”.
Some people on the list had already fallen victim to car fires or drive by shootings. Only Frank was alive.
When he was released on bail in December 2017, Frank according to his videos flew to Kenya where he rented a house in Milimani, Nairobi.
“Life is good and cheap here,” he told one of his followers on Tik tok when asked why he had opted to live in Nairobi.
“More followers is more dollars,” he responded after his Tik tok account was mentioned in the Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen without mentioning how he was would make money from the social media platform.
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