Brussels Airport is under intense scrutiny as Belgian authorities warn it has become a key entry point for international narcotics, with smuggling aided and abetted in part by a small number of corrupt airport employees. Law enforcement agencies report a spike in drug seizures and trafficking investigations, said to involve baggage handlers and ground staff accused of assisting criminal networks in the transfer of drugs from flights arriving at the European hub.
Prosecutors allege some staff have intentionally acquired jobs at the airport to take advantage of access on behalf of drug gangs. The officials stress that while the vast majority of airport workers act with integrity, only a small number of compromised staff are required to run lucrative trafficking routes.
After proving themselves through trial runs, the corrupt employees can earn up to €1,000 per kilo of cocaine trafficked. In one case, two baggage handlers shared €200,000 between them for one single operation. For criminal organisations, such payouts to their airport co-conspirators are small fry compared to the drugs’ multimillion-euro street value.
Smuggling techniques have grown in complexity, authorities say, with narcotics not only concealed in passenger luggage but also in aircraft compartments, cargo areas, lavatories, and among commercial freight such as art, Duplo blocks, and flowers. In some cases, unaccompanied suitcases are put on routes considered high risk, including the Dominican Republic, Gambia, and Mexico.
The phenomenon led to the confiscation of approximately nine tonnes of drugs at Brussels Airport in 2025, revealed at the annual press conference of Belgium’s General Administration of Customs and Excise (AAD&A). That’s double the quantity seized the previous year. Officials also point to an uptick in cannabis shipments from Thailand following partial decriminalisation in the Southeast Asian country. They also acknowledge the central role Belgium plays in the export of synthetic drugs like ketamine and MDMA.
The criminal gangs at work at the airport are connected to illegal activities in the Port of Antwerp, officials say, noting the challenge of identifying those higher up in the networks rather than low‑level operatives. However, intelligence gains from encrypted messaging platforms such as Sky ECC can help, as well as a new body scanner introduced at the airport in spring 2025, and methods used to “follow the money”—all aimed at, eventually, cleaning up airport crime.
Asked for a response, Brussels Airport spokesperson Ihsane Chioua Lekhl told Travel Tomorrow: “This falls within the responsibility of federal police and customs.” The Federal Police and Customs had not yet replied to a request to comment by the time of publication.
