Society

Belgium led an international maritime operation to combat drug smuggling and trafficking. Police and customs from 12 countries participated in the White Sea IV operation.

A major anti-drug operation took place off the coast of Belgium, in the English Channel, in the North Sea, along the west coast of Europe and in seaports. White Sea IV is a collaboration between 12 European countries, led by Belgian customs as part of Europol's EMPACT action. The resources deployed were impressive: patrol boats, speedboats, helicopters and coastguard planes. The forces also included boarding and search teams, as well as divers.

With South America

Although led by Belgian customs, this operation was international. Forces came from Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Sweden. There were also liaison officers from Latin America. The fight against smuggling in question aimed at intercepting offshore deposits and transhipments of narcotics. Some were caught red-handed.

The results

525 ships were analyzed and checked during the White Sea IV operation on October 15, 2024. Of these, 73 ships were effectively checked. Despite the extent of the maritime territory to be checked, six seizures were carried out. This concerned 930kg of cocaine and 4,950kg of hashish. The drugs were seized by the authorities and 4 arrests were made. The Belgian judicial authorities obviously took over.

(MH with Olivier Duquesne – Source & Picture: © SPF Finances – Belgian Federal Ministry of Finance)