The Antwerp city council has imposed a two-month closure on a café in Van Stralenstraat, in the north of the city, following the repeated detection of illegal acts such as drug trafficking.
Dealers were active on the café’s terrace and drugs also appeared to be hidden inside.
The police said they often receive reports from cafes located around the Van Stralenstraat – Pijlstraat – De Coninckplein axis in Antwerp-North: customers cause nuisance there, fights take place and passers-by are accosted to buy drugs. The police therefore carry out regular checks to curb the nuisance.
During one such check on 3 July at the café now being closed, police found that narcotics were being sold on the terrace. Four suspects were approaching passers-by to sell them hash, marijuana or crack cocaine, while a fifth suspect was hanging around the area.
After officers witnessed a transaction, the buyer was found to have a small amount of cannabis on his person. The suspected sellers also had drugs in their pockets, in addition to large amounts of cash and several mobile phones. One of the suspects even called on his little daughter to keep track of drugs.
Inside the cafe, police also found drugs, including in a trash can in the toilet. A mobile phone belonging to one of the suspects lay charging on the counter.
According to the police, all the findings taken together indicated that the dealers were familiar with the café and that the gang had been active there for a while. The negative impact on the neighbourhood of a café serving as a sales outlet for drugs was seen by the city authorities as a valid reason for its closure.
