Eleven people have been arrested following a large-scale police operation targeting a suspected international drug trafficking organisation operating across several European countries.
The raids, carried out on 9 June by the Federal Judicial Police in Brussels under the supervision of an investigating judge, were conducted in close cooperation with French judicial authorities as part of a joint cross-border investigation.
According to prosecutors, the criminal network is suspected of organising the import and export of narcotics between Spain and Italy, with shipments transiting through France and links extending into Belgium.
Of the 11 people arrested, six were also detained on administrative grounds relating to illegal residence status.
Investigators seized around €60,000 in cash, three vehicles, luxury goods, dozens of mobile phones and computers, as well as a substantial volume of digital evidence.
The investigation began after Belgian authorities received European Investigation Orders from France. A Joint Investigation Team was subsequently established between the two countries to target the suspected trafficking network.
French investigators had previously intercepted a drug courier carrying a significant quantity of cocaine, leading authorities to identify alleged connections with individuals based in Brussels.
According to investigators, members of the organisation are suspected of playing key roles in a structured operation that relied on vehicles fitted with sophisticated hidden compartments to transport drugs across multiple European borders.
The operation marked the culmination of several months of intensive investigations involving criminal intelligence analysis, judicial inquiries and international coordination.
During one search, officers also discovered forged identity documents and other flagged paperwork, prompting the opening of a separate criminal investigation.
The Prosecutor's office believes that some suspects may have already left Belgium and sought refuge abroad.
Questioning of those arrested remains ongoing as investigators seek to establish the precise role played by each suspect and determine the full scale of the organisation's alleged criminal activities.
The operation was coordinated by an investigating judge in Brussels and the organised crime division of the Brussels Public Prosecutor's Office, with support from Eurojust, which assisted in setting up and coordinating the joint Belgian-French investigation team.
Officials said the case highlights the importance of international judicial and police cooperation in tackling organised crime networks involved in drug trafficking across Europe.
