Figures released by the Fesderal Finance Department on Wednesday show that Belgian customs seized around 55 tonnes of cocaine from South America at the port of Antwerp in 2025. This figure is around 25% higher than the 44 tonnes of South American cocaine that was seized at the port in 2024. However, it is still less than half the more than the record 120 tonnes seized in 2023
After a sharp fall in the amount of South American cocaine seized at the port of Antwerp in 2024, 2025 saw a rise in the quantity of cocaine confiscated by customs officers at the port. Nevertheless, 55 tonnes is still well under half the 120 tonnes seized at the port of Antwerp in 2023.
From last autumn the number of large consignments of cocaine seized by customs officers at Antwerp docks started to increase again. The definition of a “large consignment” is any shipment of illegal drugs weighing 2 tonnes or more. Belgium, above all the port of Antwerp, remains the number 1 destination from cocaine from Latin America.
The Justice Department has no illusions and is aware that the fact that the amount of drugs seized at the port of Antwerp being currently less than was the case several years ago does not mean that the trafficking is slowing down. Federal Police sources say that the traffickers have simply found new routes, for example via smaller ports, to get their drugs onto the lucrative European narcotics market. Last year’s figures seem to indicate that stricter checks at the port of Antwerp are bearing fruit.
The top 5 countries of origin for cocaine seized at the port of Antwerp include 4 South American countries, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Columbia. The West African country Ghana completes the top 5. Drug trafficking into Euro from or via West Africa is on the increase, so Ghana’s presence in the top 5 countries of origin isn’t that strange.
The police too had a busy year at the port. In 2025 they made a record 207 arrests for drug-related crimes. Most of these were of people that drug gangs had given the task of retrieving drugs from shipping containers on the quayside. Of those detained 41 were minors.
"Spectacular increase” in amount of marihuana seized
The figures also show what is described as a "spectacular increase" in the amount of marihuana seized. 20 tonnes of the drug were seized in 2025. This is 4 times the amount seized in 2024.
Almost all of the marihuana came from Canada where it is legal to grow the drug.