Five luggage handlers are among 21 people arrested in connection with a cocaine and cannabis trafficking operation through the Brussels Airport.
Federal police dismantled the criminal network on Wednesday following an investigation into drugs arriving from the Americas and Africa.
19 people were arrested in Belgium, including five baggage handlers and several people considered “high-value targets” by Europol. Two others were arrested in France, and two suspects in the Netherlands had reportedly been detained before Wednesday's operation.
Police carried out 27 searches in Belgium and France, seizing €57,000 in cash, cryptocurrency wallets, eight vehicles, and firearms.
The investigation began in February 2025, after a sports bag arriving from Mexico was found with 30 kg of cocaine inside.
Detectives then uncovered the network’s method: a passenger would travel to Brussels with luggage containing drugs, but would not collect it after landing.
Instead, the organisation used so-called “extractors,” who bought plane tickets at the last minute to gain access to the baggage area, who would collect the luggage and leave it at hotels.
The drug network allegedly changed the method after several members of the network were intercepted.
Detectives believe the network began bribing baggage handlers working for companies operating at Brussels Airport.
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The handlers allegedly removed the drugs before the luggage reached the baggage carousels and took them out of the airport while circumventing security controls.
Brussels Airport confirmed to The Brussels Times that the five baggage handlers arrested were not directly employed by the airport.
“They are employees of Brussels Airport subcontractors. They are not Brussels Airport employees,” their spokesperson said.
The airport declined to identify the companies involved. An investigation is still ongoing.
Asked about security checks for baggage handlers with access to restricted areas, the spokesperson referred The Brussels Times to the Federal Police, customs, and the airport’s external security provider.
Brussels Airport also said that it had received little information about the case, as the investigation is being led by the Federal Police.
Police are still trying to establish how much cocaine and cannabis passed through the airport using this system, and how long the operation had been running.
Several suspects have already been issued arrest warrants and are due to appear before the council chamber on Friday.
