Customs investigators in Belgium and the Netherlands seized a record amount of almost 180 tons of cocaine in 2023, they said on Wednesday.
More drugs were intercepted in the ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam and Vlissingen as well as at airports, the authorities of both countries announced in Vlissingen, a port city in south-western Netherlands, where cocaine interceptions are on the rise.
In 2022, investigators seized a total of around 160 tons of cocaine. Antwerp and Rotterdam are the main ports of entry for cocaine in Europe.
Around 116,000 kilograms of cocaine was seized in Antwerp. In Rotterdam, just 100 kilometres away, 45,000 kilograms with a sales value of around €3.5 billion ($3.8 billion) was seized, according to the public prosecutor's office.
Gangs have been increasingly switching to the smaller harbour of Vlissingen, the authorities said.
Almost 15,000 kilograms has now been seized there. Around 2,250 kilograms was found at airports, also significantly more than in the previous year.
Stricter security measures and more checks were showing initial success, the authorities explained. Last year, the neighbouring countries agreed to cooperate more closely in the fight against drug smuggling.
As a result, far more containers are being scanned. Investigators are also using cameras, drones, divers and underwater scooters. They are also working more closely with the exporting countries in South America.
Cocaine is usually hidden in containers in South America between loads of fruit and then retrieved in the harbours and transported onwards to the whole of Europe.
