Short-term rentals in Belgium, through platforms such as Airbnb, are being used to store drugs, cash and weapons, Belgium's drugs commissioner Ine Van Wymersch said in an interview with the Guardian.
Van Wymersch, who became Belgium's first-ever drugs commissioner in 2023, went into detail with the British daily about how the general e-commerce boom is being used by criminal gangs to "enormously" facilitate their work.
Due to the flexibility of short-term rental cancellations, she explained how easy it is for traffickers to rent apartments or studios while waiting for their cargo at harbours.
The top official recognised that these rental companies provide a legitimate and useful service, but they need to up the ante concerning criminals using their services.
Van Wymersch also reportedly warned that delivery firms may be "very at risk" of being used by organised crime. "It is not a suspicious situation any more when you see that there is a white van stopping at your neighbour's house and […] a small box handed over," she told the Guardian.
Airbnb app interface on a smartphone. Credit: Belga
In a recent interview with De Standaard, Clément Eulry, Airbnb's country manager for France and the Benelux, said criminals who book short-term rentals represented a small proportion of the company's annual bookings.
Eulry told De Standaard that Airbnb had taken various measures, including using AI to identify suspicious bookings and that any dubious activities were reported to local police.
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Van Wymersch underscored the importance of understanding the "modus operandi" of these criminal networks, and targeting "dodgy shops" engaged in money laundering.
She also stated that a purely repressive approach will not reduce the number of shootings, and that Belgium must invest in education and anti-poverty strategies to tackle the issue.
"We will see fewer shootings only when there are fewer vulnerable people. In fact, we need to strengthen the resilience of society as a whole," she told the Guardian.
