Belgian authorities report declining cocaine seizures in 2024, spotlighting Antwerp as Europe’s major entry point from Latin America.
On July 10th, the Belgian Federal Public Service of Finance presented an overview of cocaine seizures in the first half of 2024. Since the year began, authorities have conducted 62 seizures, totaling 22.2 tonnes of cocaine. This represents a decrease compared to the first half of 2023, during which 43.4 tonnes were seized. The “rip-off” method remains the most prevalent for concealing narcotics, with Sierra Leone, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic identified as primary departure points.
Belgian customs reported an additional 15.8 tonnes of cocaine destined for Antwerp seized in departure countries since the beginning of the year. In a bid to intensify the fight against trafficking, 2 new mobile scanners are set to be operational soon, with 4 more expected by year’s end, increasing their total to 9. The first three mobile scanners were inaugurated on May 22nd. In 2023, Belgian customs scanned 36,127 containers flagged as “at risk.” The objective for 2024 is to surpass 50,000 containers at risk and ultimately scan between 350,000 and 400,000 containers.
The port of Antwerp saw a record 116 tonnes of cocaine seized in 2023, marking a 5% increase from 2022 and reaffirming its status as Europe’s primary gateway for cocaine from Latin America.
