So far, 91 incidents of drug-related violence have already been recorded in the province of Antwerp this year, an increase of almost 30% compared to the entire year of 2023.
New police figures, requested by VRT, confirm that the number of drug-related offences in the province of Antwerp has never been so high. In addition to explosions and shootings, the police also count kidnappings, torture and threats within the drug world.
The drugs coming in via the port of Antwerp are often at the basis of the wars between gangs that are active in the drug trade. The street violence is the result of that, VRT reports.
Additionally, several large-scale investigations, such as the cracking of the encrypted Sky ECC network, caused unrest in the drug world, also resulting in increasing violence.
In addition to Antwerp, Brussels is also increasingly plagued by drugs-related violence. In the Belgian capital, police registered a record number of shootings this year. In mid-October, the count was at 74. Most of these shootings are drug-related.
