Belgium's federal police seized 14 billion euros that had been earned through criminal activities last year, De Zondag reports on Sunday.
The money was mainly earned through the illegal drug trade. Police only seized 644 million euros in similar operations in 2017.
Last year’s amount is this high because of a huge 13-billion-euro fraud case, which is still ongoing.
“We have to make sure crime doesn’t pay. That’s why we have to hit criminal organisations where it hurts: their wallet,” said police spokeswoman Sarah Frederickx.
Tackling the illegal drug trade remains a top priority for the police, along with human trafficking and the fight against terrorism.
Eleven percent of their investigative resources were allocated to stopping the trade in illegal drugs last year.
Illegal drug trade is a bigger problem in Belgium than ever before, as they are in many other countries, the police point out.
The Brussels Times
