On Saturday evening, approximately 300 vehicles gathered for an illegal drifting meeting in Puurs-Sint-Amands.
When police intervened, fireworks were fired in their direction. No one was injured. A total of 322 drivers were tested for alcohol and drugs.
At around 22:30, a report came in about a large number of vehicles arriving at the industrial zone in Puurs-Sint-Amands. Rivierenland police zone immediately dispatched several teams to the scene. The federal police and police zones from Antwerp and Rupel provided support.
“The meeting consisted mostly of tuned vehicles revving their engines and cars drifting. Fireworks were set off, some directed at our teams. Fortunately, there were no casualties,” said Dirk Van de Sande, spokesman for Rivierenland police.
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The police made it clear that the gathering was unauthorised and requested attendees to leave. Upon exiting the industrial zone, 322 drivers were checked for alcohol and drugs. One driver tested positive for alcohol and cocaine and had their licence revoked for 15 days.
“Three other drivers tested positive for drugs — one for cocaine and two for cannabis. The Romanian driver, who lives in the Netherlands, and the French driver had to pay their €1,260 fines on the spot. The third driver, a Belgian, has only had their licence for a year. All three had their licences immediately revoked for 15 days,” Van de Sande added.
One car was administratively seized, and 21 drivers were fined, mainly for parking violations, not wearing seat belts, and vehicle registration infractions. Three cars were found to have exceeded their technical inspection validity.
By shortly before 1:00, everyone had left and calm had returned.
