Record amount of cocaine seized in Belgium in 2023 as EU faces rise in drug-related violence

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Belgian customs seized a total of 116 tons of cargo. cocaine Authorities announced on Wednesday that a new record for the country was set at the port of Antwerp in 2023.

The Belgian port city is the main gateway for Latin American cocaine cartels to continental Europe, and the amount of cocaine substance seized at the port increased by six tonnes from 110 tonnes in 2022.

Colombia, Ecuador (whose government recently declared war on drug cartels) and Panama are the top countries of origin.

Finance Minister Vincent Van Petegem said that in 2023, a further five tonnes of cocaine was seized at the port of Zeebrugge, which is part of the Antwerp-Bruges port.

Announcing the record seizures, the minister said: “Thousands of employees across the country once again did their best under extraordinary circumstances.”

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.

The latest figures available in the European Union show authorities are seizing record amounts of cocaine, with 303 tonnes seized by member states in 2021. A report by the EU agency that monitors drugs and addictions said 75% of that amount was seized. Also in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.

Belgian authorities have denounced the impact drug trafficking is having on the country as foreign criminal organizations move into Belgian society, particularly in Antwerp.

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-Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborn went into hiding for a while after evidence emerged that drug gangs were trying to kidnap him, or worse.

European governments blame growth demand for cocaine They investigated similar recent incidents of violence across Europe in major port cities such as Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Marseille in France.

The Dutch government said a total of 60 tonnes of cocaine was seized last year, a “significant increase” compared to the previous year, when more than 51 tonnes were seized. Most were found in Rotterdam.

Customs Minister Okje de Vries said the fight against cocaine smuggling “continues to require continued attention and investment”.