Drug bust: police finds 4,000 kg of cocaine in Belgium, 9 Dutchmen arrested

Of the ten men who were arrested in Belgium last Tuesday by the Belgian police in connection with a major drug discovery, nine have Dutch nationality. The other suspect is a Romanian, the Dutch police reported on Friday.

On Tuesday, Belgian police became aware of a suspicious situation in Steenweg in Ravels, near the Dutch border. The investigation led officers to a shed nearby, where nearly 4,000 kilos of cocaine were found. This was announced on Wednesday by the Antwerp prosecutor's office. At that point, it was already clear that Dutch nationals were among those arrested, but not exactly how many.

The Dutch police reported on Friday that house searches followed Thursday, with four automatic firearms and nine kilograms of fireworks found at 11 locations. iPads, USB sticks and cell phones were also seized in order to use the data on them in the investigation. In addition, the police found several tens of thousands of euros.

75 officers from the National Unit and The Hague Unit cooperated in the searches. They handed over the money and goods to the Belgian authorities, who are continuing the investigation. The cooperation between the countries aims to combat large-scale cocaine imports through the port of Antwerp.

Belgian and Dutch customs, the FIOD, the Tax and Customs Administration, the Marechaussee and regional units of the Dutch police are also involved.