Last year, 116 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the port of Antwerp, a new record.
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When we dismantle laboratories, we now find Colombians there, says the Belgian federal prosecutor. These South American mafias have also imported their very violent methods, explains Frédéric Van Leeuw: “There were threats against journalists, grenades and Kalashnikov shots at houses in Antwerp or Brussels, acts of torture and mutilation. It is an increase in violence which is progressing with the quantities of cocaine which are flooding Europe at the moment.”
In 2023, 116 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the port of Antwerp, a new record. To collectively confront this new crime, the European Commission and Belgium, which holds the EU presidency, are launching a “European Ports Alliance” on Wednesday January 24, in the presence of the 27 interior ministers.
Cocaine also arrives through Le Havre
Since 2021, Belgian authorities have arrested 1,400 people and more than 10,000 suspects are in the crosshairs of justice. The country, which already collaborates with its neighbors, is sparing no effort to eradicate this trafficking. But it’s a bottomless pit. We need real collaboration, believes the Belgian Minister of Finance, Vincent Van Peteghem: “VS“It’s a fight that we cannot win alone, it is necessary to improve cooperation between different countries.”
“We must, of course, invest at the national level but European and international cooperation is becoming more and more important”
Vincent Van Peteghem, Belgian Minister of Financeat franceinfo
Especially since, under police pressure, the mafias are reorganizing. Cocaine now arrives in smaller ports such as Bruges in Belgium, Vlissingen in the Netherlands or Le Havre in France.
The European Ports Alliance aims to improve cooperation between public authorities but also with private actors and the freight companies concerned. The objective is also to encourage the exchange of information, best practices and to identify innovative tools.