Belgium is striving to stop crime gangs from turning the country into a hub for exporting synthetic drugs to the United States and Latin America, according to the new drug chief in Brussels.
Challenges Facing Belgium
Although the European Union has long focused on stopping traffickers from bringing illegal substances like cocaine into the EU via Belgian ports, it has not traditionally been concerned with banned substances moving in the opposite direction. However, with the rise in drug-related violence, Belgian authorities are awakening to the global demand for synthetic drugs produced in Europe.
Efforts to Combat Drugs
According to Belgian officials and data from Europol and the EU drug monitoring agency, European authorities are aware that perpetrators are manufacturing these drugs in the EU and then using regular postal services to export them worldwide.
Belgium’s Role in the Illegal Drug Market
Belgium, alongside the Netherlands, plays a significant role in the illegal drug market on the European continent. It is home to the main European port of Antwerp and a high concentration of illegal production, making its policies an important part of the European response.
International Cooperation in Drug Control
The European Commission is also attempting to enhance cooperation among national law enforcement agencies within the EU, according to a spokesperson for the commission. Local and federal police forces in Belgium have established a specialized project to combat drug trafficking via postal services, resulting in the seizure of kilograms of various drugs and more than 40,000 ecstasy pills in December 2022, according to the federal police.
Future Challenges
It is difficult for authorities to track the amounts produced and exported across Europe, but they know that synthetic drugs are being shipped globally, including to the United States and Latin America, according to another Belgian official. In some cases, synthetic drugs are exchanged for cocaine to avoid cross-border money transfers, the official said.
Security Challenges
DHL Group states that it is aware of the potential exploitation of its supply chains by organized crime. The company says it regularly communicates with law enforcement agencies to mitigate the risks of its services being used illegally and continuously works to adapt its control operations, but it cannot provide further details for security reasons.
Synthetic Drugs
Synthetic drugs include substances such as ecstasy, MDMA, amphetamines, and methamphetamine. A joint report from Europol and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, the EU drugs agency, estimates the annual retail market value in the EU for amphetamines, the most common synthetic stimulant in Europe, to be over one billion euros ($1.1 billion).
EU Strategy for Drug Control
A key part of the EU’s drug strategy has focused on stopping the flow of drugs into Europe via its ports. The EU’s executive body laid out a roadmap to combat organized crime and drug trafficking in October, describing it as “one of the most pressing security threats facing the EU today.”
International Cooperation in Drug Control
The committee’s spokesperson wrote in a statement via email that officials are particularly seeking to address the EU’s role in the production and export of synthetic drugs, noting that the plan includes measures to enhance cooperation among law enforcement, improve global monitoring capabilities, and hold exchanges with China to combat the trafficking of chemicals necessary for drug production in Europe.
Drug Laboratories in Belgium
A police team specialized in combating drug laboratories in Belgium raided 25 illegal labs in 2022, according to their annual report on drug trafficking.
Recommendations to Curb Synthetic Drugs
Van Wiemersh stated that European governments need to introduce new laws to restrict access to the chemical substances needed to produce these materials. She added, “It’s not too complicated to obtain the materials you need to set up a lab.”
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