Three police officers arrested in Belgium drug sweep
Belgian authorities said on Tuesday that 22 people, including three police officers, were arrested in a vast anti-drug operation whose targets included suspected cocaine smugglers at the port of Antwerp. Around 350 officers were deployed mainly in Brussels and Antwerp and 45 searches carried out, resulting in the seizure of cash, luxury vehicles and a handgun, the federal police said in a statement. The sweep was part of an investigation launched in February 2023 that was sparked by "several serious crimes," which revealed drug trafficking "from local dealers to import/export operations," police said. Investigators managed to decrypt several phones equipped with Sky ECC, a secure communications app used by criminal gangs. The communications revealed cocaine shipments to Europe via the port of Antwerp, police said, with "certain people suspected of hoping to ship the cocaine to England using helicopters." Tuesday's arrests come as Belgium is currently holding a drug trafficking mega-trial with more than 120 defendants in the dock, thanks in large part to investigators cracking encrypted messaging apps. Antwerp has seen record drug seizures by police in recent years, becoming the main European port of entry for cocaine from South America as the drug's use increases on the Continent. (AFP)