Jul 9, 8:08 PM
Antwerp’s Port and Belgium’s Drug Crisis
As cocaine flows through Europe’s second-largest port, Brussels and Antwerp grapple with shootings, turf wars, and the threat of criminal infiltration.
Belgium’s drug problem is anchored to a single location: Antwerp. Europe’s second-largest port has effectively become a primary gateway for cocaine entering from Latin America.
Last year, Belgian authorities seized 55 tons of cocaine. However, officials openly admit that much larger quantities likely slip through undetected. These shipments are frequently concealed within everyday commercial freight, hidden among bananas, frozen food, or timber.
The drug problem in Belgium has become a national security issue. Drug-related violence has spiked in both Antwerp and Brussels. The majority of this violence is concentrated in Antwerp, particularly in neighbourhoods linked to trafficking networks. Brussels has similarly seen rising drug-related shootings and turf wars, especially around certain metro stations and poorer districts. Concurrently, gangs are infiltrating parts of the public administration through bribery and intimidation.
Belgian politicians are currently debating whether the country risks evolving into a narco-state, a warning recently issued by a senior Antwerp judge. This question forms the central focus of a recent edition of the television programme The Ring. The broadcast features a debate between Brussels Mayor Philippe Close and Mathias Vanden Borre, a member of the Brussels regional parliament from the liberal-conservative New Flemish Alliance. They debate whether the authorities have lost control of the drug issue and if Belgium is at the frontline of an unwinnable European battle against cartels.
Belgium is not merely a transit hub for these networks; it is also a highly active consumer market. Wastewater studies and European monitoring indicate relatively high cocaine use in Belgian cities compared with many other EU countries. Across the continent, cocaine has become cheaper, purer, and more available over the past decade.
Belgium’s drug problem is also Europe’s drug problem. Antwerp and Rotterdam function as gateways for cocaine entering the EU. As long as European demand remains high and cocaine production in South America keeps rising, Belgian authorities face a structural challenge rather than a temporary crime wave.
Written by Thomas Nussbaumer thomas.nussbaumer@alpineweekly.com
