An explosion occurred in central Antwerp late on Sunday night as drug trafficking activity in the area continues to cause nuisance and street violence.
The explosion occurred at around 01:45 on Sunday night in the Reyndersstraat, two houses next to the Torch Theatre, targeting a building with a Mexican restaurant.
Details surrounding the incident are currently under investigation. Shortly after the explosion, an investigation was carried out in the area, but it was without result. No one was injured as a result of the explosion.
Police have established a security perimeter and the bomb disposal services DOVO and a team of specialist investigators quickly came to the scene.
Law enforcement has not ruled out a connection to drug trafficking activity in the area, according to local police spokesperson Wouter Bruyns. Drug-related explosions are a frequent occurrence in the streets of the port city of Antwerp, due to its increased importance as a key entry point to Europe for international drug cartels.
Related News
- The battle for Antwerp Port: Dedicated security corps takes form to fight organised crime
- Breaking into Europe through Belgium: Colombian cartels focus efforts on Antwerp
- ‘We need to burn cocaine faster’: Antwerp Port workers facing revenge violence by drug gangs
A recent study by the Flemish Institute for Peace, under the commission of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), suggests that the focal point of such illicit activity appears to be shifting from the Iberian Peninsula to Antwerp and Rotterdam.
This has made both Belgium and the Netherlands playing a central role in the issue of gun-related violence associated with drug trafficking.
