Belgian customs seize record amount of cocaine as EU faces drug violence rise

Customs seized another record amount of cocaine in the port of Antwerp in 2023 (AP)

Customs officers seized 116 tonnes of cocaine in the port of Antwerp in 2023, setting a record for the second year in a row, Belgian authorities said.

Demand for cocaine is growing rapidly across the EU, and governments blame the drug trade for outbreaks of violence in major port cities like Antwerp, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and Marseille in France.