Police organised two actions in the Anderlecht neighbourhood of Cureghem on Tuesday evening as part of the battle against drug trafficking. One person was arrested for money laundering, and a business has been temporarily closed.
The Special Laws Department of the Brussels-Midi police zone (Anderlecht, Saint-Gilles, Forest) organised an operation on Tuesday evening to fight against drug trafficking in the Clemenceau hotspot. Several shootings (one of which was fatal) have taken place here in recent weeks. Initially, Bruzz reported that ten people had been arrested.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the Brussels-Midi teams carried out two separate operations. "The first focused on inspecting various shops and the second on driving under the influence of drugs," spokesperson Stefan Vandevelde said. He noted that these interventions are part of the second phase of a plan to fight the "nuisance" created by drug trafficking.
A total of 13 official reports were filed, and one person was arrested for money laundering. "This person will be handed over to the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office later [on Wednesday]."
Closed business
As part of the first action, one business was closed for three months and police seized €17,250. There were issues with hygiene and an official report was drawn up for illegal employment.
22 vehicles were inspected in the second action. "Various offences were discovered. For example, ten administrative fines were issued, five fines were immediately collected, two fines were given to minors on an e-scooter [these are banned for under-16s] and one vehicle did not have the correct registration."
The neighbourhood has been the site of several shootings since the start of February as a result of a turf war between drug gangs. The streets around the Clemenceau metro station are the epicentre of the violence.
One person living in the area, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Brussels Times when visiting the area that many of the local night shops were involved in the drug trafficking business, specifically to launder the money earned by selling drugs. The police have not yet confirmed whether the raids were linked to this, however.
This article was updated on at 15:40 on Wednesday 26 February to include information provided by the Public Prosecutor's Office.
