Antwerp (Brussels Morning newspaper) – Customs in Antwerp seized nearly 2 tons of cocaine this week, including 1.4 tons on Monday, July 7, 2025. So far in 2025, 16,713 kg was found in 82 cases, down from 2024.
As GVA and VRT News reported, on Monday, July 7, 2025, customs officers at the port of Antwerp found 2 big loads of cocaine. Together, they weighed almost 1.4 tons. The first find was at Quay 1333. There, officers found 222 kilograms of cocaine. The drugs were hidden in a shipment of rice that came from Argentina.
According to officials, the cocaine was hidden in the container, but a careful check helped the officers find it. Later that day, they found an even bigger shipment. This time, the container came from Guyana. It also said it was carrying rice.
But inside, there were black sports bags filled with cocaine. The bags were tied with ropes and fixed to the metal frame of the container. Customs officers took both drug shipments. The cocaine will be destroyed.
How is Antwerp customs catching smarter cocaine smugglers?
Customs in Antwerp have stopped several big cocaine shipments in recent weeks. It is one of the biggest weeks for drug seizures this year. In early July 2025, they also found more than 400 kilograms of cocaine. The next day, they found another 45 kilograms. The police are now trying to find out who sent the drugs and which gangs are behind them.
On July 7, 2025, customs officials presented their drug seizure data for the first half of 2025. From January 2025 to June 2025, they seized 16,713 kilograms of cocaine. This is down from the same period of last year of 22,276 kilograms, which was a record.
Even though the total amount of drugs is lower, they caught more shipments. This year, there were 82 cases, while in the first half of 2024, there were 62. So, more shipments are being found, but each one holds less cocaine. The average size of each catch dropped from 359 kilograms last year to 204 kilograms this year.
Customs officers also said that drug smugglers keep finding new ways to hide cocaine and avoid getting caught. In the past few months, they found some methods. For example, there were fake bananas that were filled with cocaine. They also found cocaine hidden inside frozen fish and soft drink cans.
Other places where the drugs were hidden include cooling machines, fake magnets used in factories, and even inside the wooden parts of pallets. Customs say they are staying alert and are changing how they check goods so they can keep catching these new tricks.
