Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt connects drug gangs to the surge in shootings in Brussels, with over 100 criminal networks active.
More than 100 of Europe’s most dangerous criminal networks work in Belgium, a hub for international drug trafficking as well as being the heart of EU politics, officials said on Friday, as street shootings rise in the capital. Belgian Justice Minister Paul Van Tigchelt stated drug gangs were behind this year’s climb in street shootings in Brussels, with six registered in March alone. Mobs from the French coastal town of Marseille were aiming to fill a vacuum left in Brussels after detentions of Albanian mafia members, he stated.
About 30 people were charged in a large-scale process by the country’s federal police in February 2022, Belgian media noted. With a main port in Antwerp, Belgium is an influential drug hub.
According to Reuter, Local media have noted shootings in recent months that have hurt passers-by in shopping and residential districts of Brussels that were not formerly associated with such crime. The federal police refused to comment on street shooting statistics. Van Tigchelt and Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden told at a news conference as EU police agency Europol stated it had identified the 821 most dangerous criminal webs in the bloc, and their 25,000 members, to support cross-border investigations.
Half of the groups were concerned with drug trafficking, stated Europol head Catherine De Bolle, while 86% of them employed legal businesses to launder money.
Public Fear Amidst Escalating Gun Violence
Moreover, After two more shootings happened back-to-back in previous, 66% of Brussels citizens say they feel under threat in the context of increasing drug-related violence across the capital.
Further, two consecutive shootings happened in Brussels, adding to Brussels’ skyrocketing ranks of gun violence. A week ago, a 29-year-old man was shot dead in Laeken. In a different incident a few hours later, another 28-year-old man was harshly injured by gunshots in Saint-Josse. He has since died in hospital.
As reported by The Brussels Times, It remains unsure whether or not the two incidents are related. In any case, the shootings have contributed to an outbreak in the incidence rate of drug- and gun-related brutality in Brussels. A spate of shootings in and around Saint Gilles in February shocked the general public, and there have already been 21 shootings across the city this year in comparison with 85 in 2022 and 108 in 2023.
Citizens Demand Stronger Action Against Drug-Related Crime
“If we persist at this rate, the figures [compared to 2023] will flash,” concluded Public Prosecutor Fabienne Ledure at the killing trial held in the aftermath of the Laeken shooting. The latest Ipsos survey conducted by Le Soir, RTL, VTM and Het Laatste Nieuws echoes growing public anxiety in tandem with this trend. Two-thirds (66%) of participants state they feel more frail due to drug-related violence, 69% desire more police on the streets, and 78% think drug users should be penalised more severely.
Officials attribute the surge in shootings in Brussels to drug gangs, highlighting over 100 criminal networks operating in Belgium. The rise in violence, notably with six shootings in March alone, prompts concerns. Recent incidents, including fatal shootings, highlight the escalating gun violence. Citizens express heightened fear, advocating for increased police presence and stricter penalties for drug-related crimes, reflecting growing public anxiety over the situation.
