Police make major cocaine trafficking bust in Antwerp

Police have arrested 11 people in a major cocaine trafficking bust in the port of Antwerp, including a 50-year-old employee of the Brussels public prosecutor’s office.

The woman is facing charges of money laundering and facilitating criminal activities after reportedly registering luxury cars in her name to launder money from drug trafficking on the orders of an Ostend docker.

According to the investigation, the dockworker obtained drugs either through refrigeration technicians who removed the cargo from refrigerated containers, or through container handling equipment that moved containers from South America to transfer containers bound for an unloading warehouse.

Several of the suspects work at quay 1742, where the trafficking took place.

During searches, police discovered about €750,000 in cash, along with valuables and several luxury cars and racing motorcycles in the dockers' car park. Some of these were registered in the name of the Brussels public prosecutor's office employee.

The Antwerp public prosecutor's office is investigating whether the woman passed on sensitive information obtained from her position to criminal circles.

In the meantime, the suspect was placed under electronic surveillance after spending five days in prison and is due to appear before the court soon, which will decide whether to extend her detention.

The lawyer representing her said that her client acted in good faith, without knowing that the cars were potentially linked to criminal activity.

The arrests were part of a larger investigation into drug trafficking and money laundering in the port, which has long been a critical hub in the drug trade.

The operation follows a series of searches carried out in July in at least 12 locations across Flanders at the end of an investigation that began last December.