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Belgium’s drug problem is centered on one word: Antwerp. Europe’s second biggest port has become one of Europe’s main entry points for drugs from Latin America.
Last year alone, Belgian authorities seized 55 tons of cocaine – but officials openly admit that much larger quantities likely get through, often in hidden shipments of bananas, frozen food or timber.
Has Belgium lost control of the drug issue? Does Belgium risk evolving into a “narco-state”, as one senior Antwerp judge warned recently? Is Belgium at the frontline of an unwinnable European battle against the cartels?
These questions are at the heart of this edition of The Ring, featuring Brussels Mayor Philippe Close and Mathias Vanden Borre, a member of the Brussels regional parliament from the liberal-conservative New Flemish Alliance (N-VA).
The drug problem in Belgium problem has become a national security issue.
Drug-related violence has spiked in Antwerp and Brussels and gangs are infiltrating even parts of public administration through bribery and intimidation.
Most drug violence is concentrated in Antwerp, particularly in neighbourhoods linked to trafficking networks. But Brussels has also seen rising drug-related shootings and turf wars, especially around some metro stations and poorer districts.
Belgium is not only a transit country; it is also a consumer market.
Wastewater studies and European monitoring show relatively high cocaine use in Belgian cities compared with many other EU countries. Across Europe, 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.
This episode of The Ring is hosted by Stefan Grobe, produced by Luis Albertos Altarejos, Amaia Echevarria and Lauren Walker. TV director and editor: Vassilis Glynos.
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