Belgian Federal Police have intercepted a shipment of cocaine aboard a bulk carrier arriving from Brazil at Ghent's North Sea Port, authorities announced on Wednesday. The seizure, made during a routine inspection, is the subject of an ongoing investigation.
The operation was carried out by the Federal Judicial Police in East Flanders, the Maritime Police, and customs officers, who conducted a thorough inspection of the ship, which was flagged as a high-risk vessel.
During the search, officers discovered 50 packages of cocaine hidden in the ship's cooling compartment, with an estimated total weight of 50 kilograms. The street value of the drugs is believed to be around €2.5 million.
50 cocaine packages were seized from the hull of a ship from Brazil. Credit: Federal Police
The North Sea Port, a key hub for bulk cargo heading inland, presents significant logistical challenges for both smugglers and law enforcement. Drug traffickers must gain access to the vessel at its port of origin to conceal narcotics and then retrieve them upon arrival. In some cases, drugs are thrown overboard mid-journey to be collected by accomplices off the coast.
Gangs are increasingly choosing the inland Ghent port for cocaine smuggling. Seizures of drugs, typically hidden in bulk ships heading from Latin American countries, are on the up. This is partly due to increased vigilance at the Port of Antwerp.
Often buried deep in goods such as coal or fruits, the new tactic by drug trafficking gangs is causing a headache for authorities. Checking bulk carriers requires substantial manpower, as technical methods such as scanners and x-rays alone are insufficient. The Federal Police says that traffickers are constantly looking for new ways to smuggle their goods into the country.
Last year, more than €71 million of cocaine was confiscated at the Port of Antwerp alone, leading to the prosecution of 243 people, according to statistics from former Minister of Justice and the North Sea Paul Van Tigchelt.
