In the first six months of this year, the Belgian police have arrested a record number of suspected drug loops in the port area of Antwerp. In total it concerns 168 arrested, including a strikingly large proportion of Dutch people, thus The Belgian federal police: In addition to 57 Belgians, the Scheepsvaartpolitie arrested 83 Dutch people.
Together with the port of Rotterdam, Antwerp is the most important gate for cocaine smuggling from mainly Latin America to Western Europe. Although it is often young people, Uithalers play an important role in this chain.
For a few thousand euros they break into the port area to get illegal drugs from containers. According to the Belgian police, criminal organizations consciously recruit vulnerable young people to pick up these risky jobs. Among the arrested people were 37 minors, of whom from the Netherlands from the Netherlands.
The number of times that drugs were found in Antwerp last year has increased compared to earlier years, and yet the total amount of cocaine intercepted has fallen sharply again. In the first half of 2023 it was still a record quantity of more than 43,000 kilos, that is now only 16,000 kilos. The Belgian police suspect that criminal organizations are more sophisticated. The organizations may ship their drugs in smaller quantities to spread risks.
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