After the Raids – Less Cocaine in Antwerp

For the first time in a decade, the amount of seized cocaine in the port of Antwerp is decreasing – and significantly so.

In 2024, 44 tons of cocaine were seized in the port, compared to 116 tons in 2023, notes the Belgian customs chief Kristian Vanderwaeren according to the news agency AFP.

Both Belgium and the EU have in recent years placed heavy focus on increased authority contacts with Latin America. Customs chief Vanderwaeren thanks Ecuador, among others, for the decreased influx.

Since the government said stop and called in the military to crack down on the criminal networks, cocaine shipments have decreased, says the Belgian customs chief to AFP.