Belgian authorities, in collaboration with their German, French, and Portuguese counterparts, conducted a major operation in late September targeting the meat processing sector in Liège and Sankt Vith, arresting 18 people.
The investigation revealed that criminal organisations were allegedly employing foreign workers using counterfeit Portuguese documents.
These groups were also suspected of running money laundering systems that benefited other criminal networks.
As part of a Europol-coordinated effort, Belgian federal judicial police carried out the operation on 23 September, focusing on intermediaries linked to so-called "Brazilian networks".
These networks allegedly provided international labourers and facilitated cash payments and fake invoicing to launder money.
Authorities identified several administrative loopholes exploited by these groups, including Portugal’s lenient residency permit laws for non-EU nationals, the swift online creation of Portuguese companies, and insufficient oversight of worker postings and social security compliance.
The operation involved 46 local and federal police officers, with support from Portuguese and German officers as well as French gendarmes, who helped verify identity documents and access European databases.
The effort led to 18 administrative arrests and uncovered evidence of broader criminal activity.
Labour auditors, prosecutors, the Immigration Office, and financial crime experts also participated, alongside social security inspectors and document fraud specialists.
Beyond immediate results, the operation gathered valuable intelligence on subcontracting networks active across Belgium, Portugal, and France, paving the way for further cross-border investigations, according to federal police.
