Belgian federal police have dismantled an international drug-trafficking network that used Brussels Airport to move cocaine and cannabis into Belgium, arresting 21 suspects in a coordinated operation on 30 September. The case began in February 2025 after sports bags containing about 30 kilograms of cocaine were found at the airport on a flight from Cancún, Mexico, with later interceptions linking the group to additional cannabis and cocaine shipments.
Police carried out 27 searches across Belgium and France, with 19 arrests in Belgium and two in France, while two earlier suspects had already been detained in the Netherlands. Investigators said the group moved drugs in passenger luggage from Africa and the Americas, then expanded its method by recruiting people on cheap last-minute tickets to enter the baggage area and remove the bags before they reached the conveyor belts.
Authorities seized more than 57,000 euros in cash, crypto wallets, eight vehicles, jewellery, a luxury watch, a banknote-counting machine and firearms. Europol and Eurojust were involved in the cross-border operation, which remains under investigation as police work to identify the full network and trace criminal assets.