The two ports, Antwerp in particular, have become a hub for drug trafficking from South America.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published on 02/18/2023 at 12:36 p.m
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The epicenter of the cocaine trade in Europe is in Antwerp. Valeria Mongelli / AFP
Five of the world’s leading container ship owners, operating from the ports of Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands, pledged on Friday 17 February to work with Belgian and Dutch authorities in their fight against the ‘drug mafia’.
The directors of the shipping companies MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, Hapag Lloyd and Seatrade have signed a “declaration on combating organized cross-border drug-related crime” in which they pledge to secure and track their containers, the Belgian and Dutch ministries with Justice announced in one press release.
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Prevent placing drugs in containers
The epicenter of the cocaine trade in Europe is in Antwerp and around the gigantic cargo port, which is the second largest in Europe after Rotterdam. In 2022, Belgian customs seized almost 110 tons of cocaine in this port, a new record.
“The diversity of activities, the transit of millions of containers, the tens of thousands of employees and their cross-border nature make them vulnerable to drug mafia infiltration and abuse. This vulnerability is exploited to enable large-scale drug trafficking,” the two ministers emphasize in their press release.
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The five shipowners must “gradually accelerate the introduction of a system of containers and intelligent container seals” for “high-risk cargoes”. The aim is to prevent the uncontrolled opening and moving of a container. Access to container information is additionally protected by the option of digital encryption. Shipping companies are also committed to monitoring the integrity of their staff through their hiring and staffing policies.
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Cocaine from South America is usually hidden in containers of fruit or other food shipped from that continent. Since the end of 2022, two events have heightened the sense of urgency to fight this “mafia” better: the planned kidnapping and threats against Minister Van Quickenborne, and the death of an 11-year-old girl in Antwerp in January. . She was the victim of a bullet that pierced the facade of her home during a bill between human traffickers.