Police carried out extra checks on buses and coaches in Antwerp last night. The coaches were pulled over on the Antwerp ring road and escorted to a checkpoint at Spoor Oost. Ten passengers were found to be in possession of drugs and one coach had to continue its journey without passengers because the driver was operating without the correct licence.
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Passengers caught with drugs hauled off international buses on Antwerp orbital
Colin Clapson
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Passengers and their luggage were checked primarily for drugs during an operation in the early evening. According to the police, large quantities of drugs are regularly intercepted and drug gangs use Flixbus routes to transport narcotics. Local police collaborated with their federal police counterparts in the operation; traffic police and a helicopter were also involved.
Passengers were required to show identification, and the police screened them for any outstanding alerts. Officers also searched luggage and even checked for hidden compartments in the vehicles. Drug detection dogs assisted in the checks.
A total of 13 vehicles were inspected, comprising 9 buses, 3 cars and a scooter. In total, 312 people were checked.
Ten people were found to be in possession of drugs and were offered an immediate out-of-court settlement. Two people were reported to the Immigration department because they were living in the country without the right paperwork.
One person was arrested for breaching the conditions of their probation by possessing drugs, and a bus had to continue its journey without passengers because the driver was operating without the correct licence.
Minister Quintin: ‘This acts as a deterrent’
Interior minister Bernard Quintin (Francophone liberal MR) paid a working visit to the Antwerp Police Zone during the operation. ‘Operations like these are a result of the metropolitan plan (against drug-related crime). We carry out operations like these on a regular basis’.
‘We are actively tracking down the middlemen in the drug scene,’ the minister told reporters. ‘This acts as a deterrent and gives travellers a sense of security.’
More checks to come
The operation was part of the FIPA (Full Integrated Police Action) initiative and was carried out in collaboration with the federal police.
‘The Antwerp Police Zone will continue to carry out such operations in the future. In this way, police increase the likelihood of apprehending drug traffickers who abuse accessible international transport for illegal activities’ police sources say.