Belgian customs seized record amount of cocaine as EU faces rise in drug-related violence
BRUSSELS (AP) — Customs seized 116 tons of cocaine in the port of Antwerp in 2023, setting a record for the second year in a row, Belgian authorities said on Wednesday.
Demand for cocaine is growing rapidly across the EU, and governments blame the drug trade for outbreaks of violence in major port cities like Antwerp, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and Marseille in France.
The port of Antwerp has become the main gateway for Latin American cocaine cartels into the continent.
Another five tons of cocaine were seized last year at the port of Zeebrugge, which is part of the larger Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem.
“Thousands of employees, spread all over the country, gave their best in once again extraordinary circumstances last year,” the minister said.
The announcement was made a day after 22 people, including three police officers, were arrested in a major anti-drug bust targeting individuals suspected of smuggling cocaine through Antwerp.
