Study about cross-border fight against drug trafficking: structured collaboration between police and customs authorities - the case of Belgium

The port of Antwerp and various river ports, serves as a major spaces for economic and commercial exchanges. It is also a significant gateway for drugs entering Europe and the world, making it a prime target for rival gangs and drug traffickers. Both police and customs authorities share a common interest in combating drug trafficking. These two institutions share the common goal of prevention, detection and investigation of criminal activities, as well as the application of specific legislative and regulatory provisions falling within their respective areas of responsibility. The central aim of their mission is to reduce the supply of drugs by “strengthening capacities to detect illicit flows of drugs and their precursors at points of entry and exit from European territory”. This study reflects on the EU drugs strategy, which aims to strengthen cooperation between police, customs and justice at national and European levels, and examines the extent to which it meets the operational needs of the Belgian authorities. The analysis is grounded in a qualitative approach, based on interviews with the actors directly involved in coordination, in particular the police and customs authorities. The results of our study offer insight into the capacity of Belgian authorities to implement and adopt the system proposed by the EU, while also evaluating the tangible outcomes of this collaboration and its practical applicability in the Belgian context.