The situation in Antwerp is getting out of hand
The past week saw a new low in the wave of violence that has been plaguing Antwerp for months. First there was the latest report about 11-year-old Firdaous, the innocent niece of Othman El B., one of the country’s largest cocaine smugglers, according to Belgian justice.
They were directly hit by a fire when a house in Antwerp was fired with a Kalashnikov. An attack in the criminal environment. The umpteenth since last summer, the start of the series of shootings and attacks on homes, but now one with a fatal outcome.
There was also other disturbing news. Antwerp presented a record catch of cocaine intercepted in the port: 110,000 kilos in 2022. Twice as much as in Rotterdam. And that while less advanced scanning equipment is used in Antwerp.
In this respect, the conclusion that can easily be drawn is that the cocaine trade will be shifted via the ports of Rotterdam to that of Antwerp. Something that gives Antwerp mayor Bart De Wever sleepless nights. He, like the rest of the world, sees a direct link between the cocaine trade and Firdaous’s death. “If necessary, send the army to guard the port of Antwerp,” he begged the Belgian government.
In the Netherlands, Peter R. de Vries, lawyer Derk Wiersum and the brother of crown witness Nabil B. have been liquidated, it seems a matter of time before the situation in Belgium also moves in that direction.