Customs at Brussels Airport intercepted 4255.3 kilos of drugs in 2024 according to figures from the Belgian finance ministry. Most of the seizures involved cannabis, cocaine and khat. In addition, 202,000 ecstasy pills and 22,800 ‘blotters’ (liquid LSD) were also discovered. The smugglers were ingenious hiding their contraband in tins of soup, dog food, bags of coffee and even in a metal bar.
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Customs find drugs hidden in dog food, vacuum cleaners and Vaseline jars at Brussels Airport
Colin Clapson
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Belgian chocolates, a jar of Vaseline and a vacuum cleaner were also used in an attempt to get drugs on or off planes at Zaventem airport.
Customs today announced the figures for the total number of drug-related seizures at the airport between 1 January and 30 November this year.
The figures show that smugglers have been even more ingenious over the past year. Ecstasy pills were hidden in cans of dog food, while a bag of cocaine was found in a jar of Vaseline. Soup tins, jars of protein powder, bags of coffee and even a metal bar were also used to hide drugs.
87 passengers caught and detained
Customs data also show a sharp increase in the quantities of drugs that could be intercepted. The figures distinguish between smugglers using post and courier services on the one hand and passengers on the other.
It’s especially in illegal transports of cannabis, cocaine and khat (leaves chewed for an uplifting effect) that customs officers noticed a huge increase in 2024. For instance, 130 kilograms of cocaine sent via postal and courier services were found. That is five times more than the previous year. 1,123 kilograms of khat were also intercepted in similar shipments – almost 4 times more than in 2023.
Customs also caught many passengers with drugs on their person. 87 people were detained at the airport this year. In total, more than 1 tonne of cocaine was stopped in this way. In addition, customs found 475.8 kilos of cannabis (or hashish), 94.7 kilos of khat and 26.5 kilos of ketamine when checking passengers.
Passengers also tried to transport crystal meth (13.9 kilos), MDMA powder (13.2 kilos) and even 1 kilogram of heroin through Belgian airspace.
Huge increase, due in part to legalisation
Belgian customs speak of ‘huge increases’ in the figures. How can this be explained? Customs point to a global trend. More and more drugs are being transported via postal and courier services. There has also been an explosion in the number of passengers carrying drugs on their person.
Customs also point to new cannabis legalisation in certain countries. Because of overproduction and the plummeting prices associated with it, increasing quantities are entering Belgium via Thailand, Canada and the US.
New dangers
In addition to increased quantities, customs also note a greater diversity in shipments. More and more new types of drugs are being dispatched.
So-called ‘nitazenes’, a class of synthetic opioids, for instance, are identified as a new danger. Nitazenes are old and extremely strong painkillers that could never be used as drugs because they are too dangerous.
Kratom, a powder made from a plant from Southeast Asia, is also increasingly popular, but has been illegal in Belgium since this year. The drug has stimulant and, in large quantities, narcotic effects.
The figures from the customs contrast with those from the port of Antwerp. For the first time in many years less cocaine was intercepted in the port this year.