Brussels, Oct. 27, 2025 (dpa/NAN) A Belgian investigating judge from the port city of Antwerp has warned that drug trafficking is turning Belgium into a narco-state, in an anonymous letter published on Monday.
“Widespread mafia structures have taken root and become a parallel power that challenges not only the police but also the judiciary,” the judge writes in the letter shared on the website of the Belgian judiciary.
The judge said the country’s transformation into a narco-state was already under way, with organised crime steadily undermining democratic institutions.
Antwerp is a major gateway for cocaine shipments into Europe.
The impact of the drug trade extends beyond the city, with Brussels seeing a rise in street violence, including shootings linked to the narcotics scene.
“In spite of all the efforts of the police and the judiciary, we are no longer able to protect citizens or ourselves, “the letter states.
The judge, who wrote that they were forced to live in a safe house for four months, said colleagues have had to live under police protection because of threats to themselves and their family.
The judge called for improved working conditions for members of the judiciary, including the option to work anonymously, the creation of a permanent contact point for threatened judges, and the shielding of judges’ personal addresses from public databases.
The question is not whether the rule of law is under threat
“it already is,” the judge wrote.(dpa/NAN)
