Brussels –
Belgian authorities announced on Wednesday that customs agents seized 116 tons of cocaine at the port of Antwerp in 2023, setting a record for the second year in a row.
Demand for cocaine is growing rapidly across the EU, with governments blaming the drug trade for outbreaks of violence in major port cities such as Antwerp, Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Marseille in France.
The port of Antwerp is the main gateway to the continent for Latin America’s cocaine cartels.
Finance Minister Vincent Van Petegem said a further five tonnes of cocaine was seized last year at the port of Zeebrugge, which is part of the Antwerp-Bruges port.
“Last year, thousands of employees across the country once again did their best under extraordinary circumstances,” the minister said.
The announcement came a day after 22 people, including three police officers, were arrested in a major drug bust targeting individuals suspected of smuggling cocaine through Antwerp.
Belgian authorities said the amount of cocaine seized at Europe’s second-largest port was up from 110 tonnes in 2022, adding that Colombia, Ecuador and Panama remained the largest countries of origin.
Record amounts of cocaine have been seized in Europe, with 303 tonnes seized by EU member states in 2021, the latest year for which statistics are available. Seventy-five percent of that amount was seized in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain, according to a report by the EU agency that monitors drugs and addiction.
The Dutch government said customs authorities seized around 60 tonnes of cocaine last year, a “significant increase” from the previous year, when more than 51 tonnes were seized. Drugs were found not only in the main port of Rotterdam, but also in smaller ports and airports such as Vlissingen.
Customs Minister Okje de Vries said the fight against cocaine smuggling “continues to require continued attention and investment”.
In Belgium, federal authorities have announced that drug trafficking is rapidly infiltrating society as foreign criminal organizations have deep roots in the country and carry out violent and ruthless operations.
Over the past four years, Antwerp has seen dozens of grenade attacks, fires and small bombs, many linked to gangs seeking to cut into the thriving cocaine trade. In Belgium, then-Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborn was living in hiding after evidence emerged that drug gangs were trying to kidnap him, or worse.
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Mike Corder in The Hague contributed to this article