Belgium is known internationally for its chocolate production but in recent months it has become a hub for drug smuggling, now making a name for itself for a rather different addictive substance.
This Monday, the two types of confectionary collided when Belgian customs at Brussels Airport in Zaventem seized three chocolate bunnies which were on their way to Australia for the Easter weekend. They were declared as souvenirs with a total value of €145.2.
But what seemed at first to be tasty treats for children, after analysis turned out to be pure MDMA, intended to be converted into ecstasy pills, Federal Public Service Finance's spokesperson Francis Adyns told Belga News Agency.
The 1.8-kilogram package was intercepted in a load of mail at the airport, sent from an address in Belgium, which turned out didn't exist.
It was discovered by Pol Meuleneire, a veteran customs officer, who pressed his Raman spectroscope — a hand-held scanner which can identify substances by their chemical fingerprint — against the base of a chocolate-coloured rabbit. The scanner's screen gave a notice: "Warning, MDMA."
Adyns noted that the market value of the products could not be determined, but that in any case, the drugs will be destroyed.
A common ploy
Belgium's main port in Antwerp is increasingly becoming a gateway to Europe for Latin American drug smuggling due to its geographic positioning, but the country itself has also become a hub for synthetic drugs that are manufactured in Europe and then posted around the world.
Packages from smugglers often pass through Belgium's biggest airport. In 2022, customs intercepted about six tonnes of drugs there.
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Using Easter treats to hide MDMA isn't a new tactic: customs regularly stop illicit substances hidden in unassuming packaging, mostly in jars labelled as vitamin supplements.
Recently, a "Peppa Pig" brand meal box which looked normal at first glance, was actually filled to the brim with ketamine, an anaesthetic used as a recreational drug.
