A desperate battle is still being waged against drug-related crime in Belgium. The fight against organised crime was again one of the major focal points for the country's Federal Police in 2024.
If the spate of shootings in Brussels and bombings in Antwerp weren't evidence enough that Belgium is in the grips of a war on drugs, the 2024 annual report of the Federal police again highlights the crisis.
"In 2024 we once again devoted much of our attention and capacity to the fight against organised crime," reads the report, which gives an insight into the operational results and various activities of the police. It was presented by Commissioner General Eric Snoeck on Monday (24 February). "The impact of this crime on our society is significant," Snoeck noted.
The report reiterates that the fight against organised crime involves many departments. "We try to work as efficiently and effectively as possible by adopting an integrated, information-driven and international approach to criminal organisations." The Federal Judicial Police (FJP) is the key department dedicated to such complex criminal activities.
Tens of thousands of suspects, relatively few convicted
In 2024, the Federal Police launched 3,920 new investigations, with a total of 6,505 ongoing investigations. This included 805 money laundering cases, 695 drug crime cases and 564 violent crime cases. "It devoted most of its investigative capacity to drug-related crime (21.69%), followed by violent offences (16.85%) and money laundering (13.17%)."
Illustration picture of cannabis and hashish among other materials confiscated by the FJP Oost-Vlaanderen. Credit: Belga/ Jonas Roosens
A total of 52,018 suspects were identified in the investigations. Again, drug cases made up the biggest share (8,796), followed by money laundering (7,771), violent crimes (4,779), forgery (3,717) and terrorism (3,511).
However, just 1,882 sentences were finally issued for the FJP cases. These amounted to 6,699 years in prison. "This included 1,893 years for cases involving drug trafficking where cracking encrypted communication platforms such as EncroChat and Sky ECC played a decisive role."
The investigations also led to a total of €231,709,179 in criminal assets being seized – more than half of which came from money laundering cases.
The report pointed to several projects launched last year to assist the Federal Police in its fight against organised crime. They include the 'Breaking the Broker' project in the fight against maritime cocaine trafficking, facilitating the exchange of information between Belgian and other European police forces to detect and disrupt high-risk cocaine networks.
Port security
The Maritime Police's Port Security Corps, established in 2023, is another such project. Previously, drug-related investigations in the port were mainly the responsibility of the FJP. This project focuses on the superstructure of criminal organisations, it was decided to set up an investigation department within the Maritime Police.
This improved patrols in the harbour area in Antwerp. As Europe's second-largest port, this is a key gateway for drugs – especially cocaine – into the continent.
The Maritime Police checks in Antwerp Port as part of the fight against organised drug crime. Credit: Belga / Dirk Waem
128 drug-related arrests were made in the Antwerp port area in 2024, slightly fewer than in 2023. This is believed to be a result of increased customs controls having a dissuasive effect on drug traffickers. The total arrests included 98 drug extractors who had entered the port domain to remove the drugs that had been transported to the port, and 13 people who were caught in containers.
Meanwhile, the Antwerp shipping police criminal investigation department, established in March 2024, investigated 55 drug-related cases, mainly drug busts.
Preying on minors
The Federal Police also highlighted a disturbing finding – the growing presence of minors in various forms of crime. The Maritime and River Police arrested 16 minors on suspicion of drug-related offences in the port of Antwerp. They were mainly involved in extracting the drugs from the port.
Overall, the FJP identified 643 minor suspects in ongoing cases. Child Focus already warned last year that criminal organisations in Brussels were using unaccompanied minors in their drug trafficking activities. They are used mainly as lookouts, but sometimes also to sell drugs, and are often subjected to acts of brutality.
A recent report by Le Soir highlighted that young people, including undocumented minors, are even being used as "child soldiers" by drug gangs in Anderlecht to shoot people.
A growing number of minors are becoming victims of crime. The FJP tracked down 112 cases of underage prostitution on the internet last year. A trend identified by the Child Abuse investigation section is that images with sexual connotations are created and distributed by very young minors (8 to 11 years old). "No adult appears to be involved."
