110 tons of cocaine seized in Antwerp in 2022, a new record.

Belgian and Dutch customs services seized a total of 160 tons of cocaine at the international ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam in 2022, they announced Tuesday at a joint press conference. Belgian customs intercepted just under 110 tons of cocaine at the port of Antwerp, while Dutch customs seized 50 tons of cocaine at the port of Rotterdam.

This is the first time the 100-ton threshold has been exceeded in Antwerp. In 2021, seizures totaled 89.5 tons of cocaine. In Rotterdam, interceptions for the same drug dropped to 52.5 tons, down from about 70 in 2021.

“A joint record is proof that intensive cooperation and exchange of information pays off. The two customs services will therefore confidently continue in this mode of cooperation,” the authorities specified in a statement. This international cooperation is based on sharing expertise and implementing joint operational actions in the field.

“Any suspicious movement detected in Rotterdam or any new form of concealment technology discovered in Antwerp can advance both ports. The exchange of information and expertise is the beating heart of our cooperation,” emphasizes Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, in charge of Anti-Fraud Coordination, Vincent Van Peteghem.

Planned investments

Both countries also announced that they will continue to invest in their customs services. Belgium will hire 108 new employees for this purpose at the port of Antwerp. Also confirmed were the purchase of new scanning equipment and the continued implementation of the project to scan 100 percent of at-risk containers. For the Netherlands, investments in the coming years will focus particularly on artificial intelligence, chemical detection, container tracking, and the creation of technical barriers.