The examining magistrate of Termonde has issued arrest warrants for eight individuals for importing two tonnes of cocaine via the port of Antwerp, the East Flanders Public Prosecutor's Office and federal police revealed.
The federal judicial police, who began their investigation in 2023, discovered that containers arriving at Antwerp were being moved to warehouses where the cocaine was distributed.
Their in-depth research highlighted the organisation's profiting from a network of 'facilitators', including port employees and truck drivers.
Investigators uncovered 1.2 tonnes of cocaine in Antwerp's port, while customs stopped another 917 kilograms from Colombia.
On Wednesday, police conducted 14 searches in Tamise, Beveren, Antwerp, Turnhout, Hemiksem, Wichelen, Zele and Berlaar, arresting 11 suspects. Eight were given arrest warrants by the examining magistrate and three were released.
Over €50,000 in cash, three firearms and 15 blocks of cocaine were found during the raids.
