A European Narcostate? Belgium’s failed war on Drugs
Photo credit: Belga / Hatim Kaghat.
When one thinks of Belgium, images of waffles and dutch-french language squabbles may come to mind. Brussels, the political capital of Europe and home to the EU and NATO, amongst countless other international organizations, defines much of the country as well. However, one would seldom think that Belgium has become the epicenter for drug trafficking on the European continent. Belgian ports have surpassed historically popular ports in the Netherlands and Spain in terms of illegal drugs seized. Meanwhile, just miles away from the headquarters of EU institutions, turf wars and shootings play out in Molenbeek, a neighborhood in Brussels. Belgium’s logistical interconnectivity has made it prone to trafficking, and there has been a consequential rise in recent years that has made the port of Antwerp the EU port with the most illicit material seized in 2022 (111 tonnes) and 2023 (116 tonnes). To put it into perspective, that is well over double the entirety of cocaine seized at ports throughout the U.S. in 2023.
Historically, illicit drugs have entered Europe through Spanish and Portuguese ports. Though both are still popular destinations for trafficking, the rise in Belgium’s status is due to Antwerp’s massive port volume as well as tightening security on the Iberian Peninsula. Cocaine makes up the vast majority of drugs trafficked into Europe, accounting for 82% of total seizures. Marijuana seizures are less common, due to both relaxing laws and social attitudes towards the drug, making the drug a distant second and even less common in Dutch and Belgian ports.
Cocaine trafficking in Belgium has gotten so bad that a judge in Antwerp, who had been living in a safe house for four months, warned in an anonymous letter that “extensive mafia-like structures“ are taking hold of the judiciary in Belgium. The judge argues that organized crime has infiltrated the legal system, and is pushing for legislation that lets the judges work anonymously, amongst other reforms. This judge is not an alarmist, as many may think. Brussels is experiencing a wave of drug-related crime, most notably shootings. The issue has gotten so bad that Belgium’s Interior Minister has signaled that he wants to bring in the army to the streets of Brussels. With more than 60 shootings occurring so far in 2025, many would argue that this is a necessary step to combat the dramatic escalation in violence in Europe’s de-facto capital.
Belgium’s emergence as Europe’s new hub for drug trafficking has intensified criticisms of the country’s governance. Belgium’s famously complex political system creates chronic coordination problems that drug networks have been quick to exploit. Many argue that this fragmentation has produced a state apparatus that is often too slow, too divided, and too under-resourced to respond effectively to evolving criminal structures. The warnings from Antwerp’s judiciary, the spike in drug-related shootings in the capital, and even proposals to deploy the army all highlight a deeper sense that Belgium’s institutions are struggling to keep up. As trafficking surges and violence spreads, the country’s paralysis has become a liability that threatens both the Belgian state and Europe as a whole.