FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Belgian authorities seized a total of 116 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Antwerp in 2023, setting a new record for the country, authorities said on Wednesday.
The Belgian port city has become the main gateway for Latin American cocaine cartels to the European continent, with the amount of the substance seized at the seaport increasing by 6 tonnes from 110 tonnes in 2022.
Colombia, Ecuador, where the government has recently declared a state of war against drug gangs, and Panama were the main countries of origin.
Another 5 tonnes of cocaine were seized in 2023 at the port of Zeebrugge, part of the larger Antwerp-Bruges port, Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem said.
"Thousands of employees spread across the country gave their best in extraordinary circumstances last year," said the minister, announcing the record seizure.
The announcement came a day after 22 people, including three police officers, were arrested in a major drug bust targeting individuals suspected of smuggling cocaine through Antwerp.
The latest figures available for the European Union show authorities are seizing record amounts of cocaine, with 303 tonnes seized by member states in 2021. According to a report by the EU's drug and addictions monitoring agency, 75% of this quantities were seized in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.
Belgian authorities condemn the impact that drug trafficking is having on the country as foreign criminal organizations infiltrate Belgian society, particularly in Antwerp.
In the past four years, Antwerp has seen dozens of grenade attacks, arson attacks and small bombs, many linked to gangs trying to build on the booming cocaine trade.
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