Drug arrests in Antwerp Port surge, with juvenile involvement doubling
Just four months into 2025, the number of drug-related arrests at the Port of Antwerp has already surpassed last year's total. The Port Police have detained 131 people, mostly 'extractors' who remove drugs from containers, surpassing the figure of 128 from 2024. The 2023 record of 150 arrests now looks set to be broken.
The police have reported a trend towards smaller, more frequent drug consignments, with small groups of extractors being caught almost daily, only to be swiftly replaced. Most alarmingly, the number of minors involved is rising: Thirty-one underage extractors have been arrested so far this year, compared to sixteen in total in 2024. Authorities say that criminal networks deliberately target vulnerable youths, luring them into high-risk activities in exchange for quick money.
There's a demand in the underworld for young people willing to use violence
Europol has recently warned of an increase in the use of children and teenagers in organised crime, as gangs attempt to transfer legal risk away from themselves. "There's a demand in the underworld for young people willing to use violence, and a supply of vulnerable youths who are manipulated or coerced," said Chantal Van den Bosch, a youth lawyer, in an interview with VRT NWS.
“They are seduced by a romanticised image of luxury and violence, but their vulnerabilities are ruthlessly exploited.” Van den Bosch highlights the participation of young people from both Belgium and the Netherlands, particularly those from cities such as Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Of those arrested in Antwerp this year, 58 were Dutch and 47 were Belgian. The remainder came from France, Albania and Morocco, with some lacking a fixed residence.
In response to the growing threat of maritime cocaine trafficking, Belgium established a Port Security Corps last year, recruiting and training 70 new security agents. So far in 2025, the Port Police have initiated 66 new investigations, while the Federal Judicial Police have opened an additional 56 cases linked to cocaine trafficking at sea.
#FlandersNewsService | A customs vehicle pictured at Antwerp Harbour © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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