Far fewer drugs were intercepted in postal packages and from passengers at Brussels Airport this year the annual figures from Belgium customs show. Attempts are often made to smuggle synthetic drugs from Belgium to other countries. Smugglers are becoming increasingly creative in hiding their drugs.
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Customs intercept fewer drug parcels but smugglers are increasingly creative
Colin Clapson
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This year, nearly 300 packages containing drugs were intercepted by Belgian customs. It’s a sharp drop compared to last year, when the number stood at 1,000. Cocaine and khat were rarely encountered last year.
According to customs the drop is strongly linked to the cancelling of a direct "high-risk flight" from Curaçaon in the Dutch Caribbean, which was routinely used to smuggle cocaine.
Possession of khat can lead to a prison sentence in Belgium. In neighbouring countries a fine or community service is more customary.
"Criminals look for the route where shipping drugs involves the least effort," explains Stephan Legein, administrator-general at the customs service. "Since Belgium is a high-risk country for them, they divert to other airports." The drugs may still end up in Belgium via other routes.
Belgium remains a top country for synthetic drug exports
Smuggling of synthetic drugs from Belgium to other countries remained brisk last year. "Belgium is a top country in terms of synthetic drug exports," Legein says.
That’s because the yield from drugs like these in other countries is much higher than here. For example, an ecstasy pill costs only a few euros in Belgium. In Indonesia, on the other hand, the street price for one pill is about 30 euros. The more repressive the policies and punishments in destination countries, the more expensive the drugs customs say.
Cocaine in a mobility scooter
A washbasin made of the drug MDMA, liquid MDMA dissolved in coffee or wine, methamphetamine in children's toys... These are just a few examples of the packages intercepted by customs last year. Smugglers are getting more and more creative and keep finding new ways to hide their drugs.
Perhaps the most notable catch was a mobility scooter. A passenger wanted to leave for Brazil with his scooter. When it became clear the passenger could actually walk and drove quite clumsily, customs’ suspicions were aroused. They discovered more than 6 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the mobility scooter.
It is also becoming increasingly difficult for customs officers to detect synthetic drugs. "Synthetic substances have a certain formula. Small modifications are made to formula. That means new substances are created and these are difficult for us to trace," Legein notes.