BRUSSELS – The Belgian authorities seized a record 121 metric tonnes of cocaine at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in 2023, a 10 per cent increase from 2022.
The data released on Jan 17 by Belgium’s federal customs authorities and the Finance Ministry highlights the country’s outsize role in Europe’s illegal drugs market, in part due to the presence of Europe’s second-largest port.
The worsening problem is putting pressure on the government as drug-related violence and organised crime are spreading into several Belgian cities. In December, five people were injured in a shooting on one of Brussels fanciest shopping streets that was suspected to be drug-related.
The most-common origin of the drug entering Europe were Ecuador, West Africa, Brazil and Colombia, though the authorities noted the West African shipments would have originated from Latin America.
The seizure data was announced at a joint press conference by Belgian Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem and Dutch State Secretary for Benefits and Customs Aukje de Vries.
The Dutch customs authorities seized 60 tonnes of cocaine in 2023, up from 51 tonnes in 2022, with the largest quantities found in the ports of Rotterdam and Vlissingen, according to a statement.
Mr Van Peteghem said in a post on X that the record figures showed “the success of the federal government’s many investments in people and resources for customs”.
The challenge of stopping illicit narcotics coming into Europe via ports has been a focus for businesses and European authorities.
“Our fight against drugs is like a water bed, so if you push it somewhere, somewhere else the water will come up,” Ms Annick De Ridder, who chairs the board of directors of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said while presenting its 2023 results on Jan 10.
The European Union adopted a roadmap to fight organised crime and drug trafficking in October, which included setting up an alliance of European ports to work together to increase their resilience against drug smuggling. BLOOMBERG
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