Authorities at Brussels Airport intercepted 123 drug couriers in 2025 — a sharp increase in smuggling, with more than 2.5 tonnes of narcotics seized.
Authorities at Brussels Airport say they intercepted a significant increase in drug couriers attempting to smuggle illegal narcotics into or out of Belgium in 2025, compared with previous years, the public prosecutor’s office reported.
Last year, a total of 123 suspected drug couriers were caught at the airport, a 24 percent increase on the 2024 figures and a marked rise from just 28 individuals intercepted in 2023. Most of these cases involved people seeking to import drugs, with the remainder attempting to export them.
Cannabis was the most commonly smuggled substance, accounting for the majority of interceptions, with 71 suspects arrested. Thirty of the interceptions involved cocaine, while 12 involved ketamine. Other seizures included synthetic drugs such as MDMA and heroin.
Customs and law enforcement officials said intercepted passengers carried an average of around 20 kilograms of drugs per person, with total narcotics seized reaching approximately 2,574 kilograms. This included roughly 1,807 kg of cannabis, 382 kg of cocaine and 268 kg of ketamine. In most cases, drugs were hidden in false bottoms in checked luggage.
Authorities have already secured convictions for many of the intercepted couriers. Under Belgian law, cannabis smuggling can carry sentences of up to 40 months, while cocaine offences can result in penalties of up to 50 months in prison.
Customs officials also reported a significant rise in cannabis seizures in airport cargo shipments, confiscating over six tonnes of cannabis — a large increase compared with previous years.
In 2026’s first weeks, customs continued to disrupt smuggling attempts, intercepting additional passengers carrying substantial quantities of cannabis, ketamine and XTC.
The prosecutor’s office suggested that changes in cannabis regulations in countries such as the United States, Canada and Thailand may be influencing trafficking patterns, making it more attractive for organised groups to move cannabis through European hubs like Brussels Airport.
Reports are sourced from official documents, law-enforcement updates, and credible investigations.
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