Drug Seizures Double At Brussels Airport In 2025

Seizures of illegal drugs more than doubled at Belgium’s main airport in 2025 due largely to a “massive influx” of cannabis from Thailand, the United States and Canada, officials said Tuesday.

In total, some nine tonnes of narcotics, including eight tonnes of cannabis, were intercepted at Brussels airport, the customs authorities said.

The jump in the flow from the United States — where marijuana production has been legalised in a number of states — appears due to the fact that prices are higher in Europe.

“Companies seek to sell their products in territories where they make more money,” Belgium customs chief Kristian Vanderwaeren told a news conference.

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“It is clear that selling cannabis on the European market is more profitable than in the United States and Canada.”

The drugs arriving at the airport come in via three ways: hidden in freight cargo, stashed in small parcels sent by post, or smuggled in passenger luggage.

“We can’t have any illusions that there aren’t large quantities that slip by us,” Vanderwaeren said.

Belgium has long been a key entry point for illicit drugs being smuggled into the European market, with the bulk coming in via the mammoth port of Antwerp.