More than 490 suspects have been arrested as part of a large-scale international police operation against organised crime. The Atlas Nexus operation was led by the Belgian federal police and brought together forces from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Dossier
Almost 500 arrests in Belgian-led international police operation
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The operation targeted drug trafficking, human trafficking, document fraud, illegal firearms trafficking and environmental crime. A total of 157 tonnes of drugs, around 200 weapons and $135,000 (€117,660) in cash and cryptocurrency were seized, and police were able to identify, rescue and assist 18 victims.
A total of 34 countries took part in the operation. More than 8,600 police officers and magistrates inspected 110 aircraft, 28 ships, 415 vehicles and 271 containers at checkpoints in ports, airports and along major transport routes.
Intercepting shipments alone is no longer enough
According to the federal police, the greatest benefit of the operation was the exposure and dismantling of international criminal networks. The arrests are linked to organisations operating on smuggling routes between South America and Europe.
“Intercepting shipments alone is no longer enough,” a police spokesperson said. “The aim is to map out the structures behind the smuggling, dismantle them and deprive them of the means by which they finance their activities.”
Police dismantled what they believe to be the first cocaine processing laboratory ever discovered in Ireland, and two illegal gold mines were uncovered in French Guiana.
Three officers from the Liège federal judicial police led the operation, with two of them working from the international command centre in Trinidad and Tobago.
“I am very proud of the teams that have been working on this project since 2022,” said François Farcy, director of the Liège FJP.
According to Farcy, the seizure of 157 tonnes of cocaine demonstrates the importance of the operation. “That is cocaine that will not arrive at the ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam or Dunkirk,” he said. No police operations took place in Belgium itself, nor were any Belgians arrested elsewhere.