Police have dismantled a cocaine trafficking gang that was transporting cocaine paste from Colombia to Belgium, Europol said on Tuesday.
According to Europol, 14 people were arrested in the operation, 11 of them in Belgium, two in Germany and one in Italy.
“The gang was led by an Italian family with contacts to suppliers in Colombia and chemists in Belgium. They imported huge quantities of cocaine paste, which was delivered from Colombia to European ports,” Europol said.
The agency noted that the product was stored in warehouses in Belgium, which were used as laboratories.
The arrests were made amid Belgium’s efforts to combat violent crime, often linked to rival drug gangs, many of which have turned Antwerp and Brussels into major drug trafficking hubs.
Last week, during an international operation conducted by the Specialised Interregional Jurisdiction (JIRS) in Marseille, France, a shipment of 215 kg of drugs was seized. This shipment corresponds to the total amount seized in France in recent years, Marseille prosecutor Nicolas Besson said in a statement.
