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Drug smuggling/ Belgium seeks support from the US

2025-09-11 08:44:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Drug smuggling/ Belgium seeks support from the US

The Prime Minister of Belgium, which is the center of cocaine trafficking in the EU, is seeking support from the US in the fight against drug smuggling.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever requested the support of the United States in the fight against transnational drug smuggling during a meeting with US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The meeting took place in the port city of Antwerp.

De Wever praised President Donald Trump's administration for its efforts to combat drug trafficking in the Caribbean and for targeting drug cartels across the Americas.

"This is very good news for us," said De Wever, calling for increased cooperation and information sharing between Europe and the United States, "because drug criminals know no borders."

Noem confirmed that the US will continue to cooperate with Belgian authorities in the fight against "transnational criminal organizations that are killing our people, that are poisoning our citizens and our countries."

Belgium: Major drug trafficking hub

According to the 2025 annual report of the European Union Agency for Drugs, more drugs were trafficked through the Belgian city of Antwerp than through any other country in Europe.

A record 116 tons of cocaine were seized in the port city in 2023. However, thanks to increased inspections and controls by the police, the amount of cocaine seized in 2024 fell by 50%.

De Wever said European countries should cooperate more and called on the US to "destroy the business model of organised crime. We must do this, because criminals know no borders."

According to the European Union Drug Agency, cocaine seizures in Europe reached a record in 2023. For the seventh consecutive year, authorities seized 419 tons of cocaine.

Belgium leads with 123 tons of cocaine, followed by Spain with 118 tons and the Netherlands with 59 tons. These three countries, which have large ports, accounted for 72 percent of the total amount of drugs seized in the EU./ DW





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