From the homes in Dubai and Turkey drug barons are recruiting Dutch minors to carry out attacks in Antwerp and to unload consignments of drugs from containers at the city’s port. When arrested some of them are sent to secure detention centres for young offenders here in Flanders while they wait to be sent back to The Netherlands. Last year a total of 41 Dutch juveniles spent time at secure young offenders’ centres in Flanders. 5 of them spent more than 3 months there before they were able to be sent back to The Netherlands.
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Dutch minors are being recruited by Antwerp drug gangs
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A report in Thursday’s editions of the dailies ‘Gazet van Antwerpen’, ‘De Standaard’ and ‘Het Nieuwsblad” says that this is putting increased pressure on our region’s juvenile detention facilities.
The involvement of Dutch criminals in drugs and violence in Antwerp is not new. However, according to the offices of the Federal Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne (Flemish liberal) and the Flemish Justice Minister Zuhal Demir (Flemish nationalist), in recent years there has been a "sharp increase in the number of minors from the Netherlands that are involved".
The minors being used to carry out attacks as part of the ongoing feud between drug gangs in Antwerp and Mechelen (Antwerp Province) and are also being used to remove drugs from containers at the port of Antwerp. Last year, 8 minors appeared before juvenile magistrates in Antwerp Province to face charges of having carried out attacks using explosives and of having removed drugs from containers at the port of Antwerp. This year at least 5 minors from The Netherlands have faced the same charges.
However, the figures from Antwerp Province don’t give the whole picture as many cases of this nature are dealt with by the East Flanders Judicial Authorities.
“A worrying phenomenon”
The Federal Justice Minister Van Quickenborne says that this is "worrying phenomenon". "Young people aged 15 or 16 are being recruited on the streets for a pittance. They receive no more than 1,000 euros to be used as cannon fodder here in Belgium."
Once arrested the Dutch young offenders put even more pressure on our region’s already overstretched secure youth detention facilities. The Flemish Justice Minister Zuhal Demir hopes to discuss the issue with her Dutch counterpart Dilan Yesilgöz.