800 kilograms of cocaine seized in Moerdijk, two men arrested

The police arrested two men in Moerdijk on Thursday who allegedly transported 800 kilograms of cocaine in their truck after a tip-off from Belgian colleagues. The two suspects are a 55-year-old man from France and a 62-year-old Belgian. The drugs were found in a load of vegetables.

The examining magistrate ruled on Friday that the two men should remain in custody longer. The police are investigating the case and have not ruled out further arrests.

The arrests were made by Fortius, which is a collaborative initiative of the Federal Judicial Police (FGP) Antwerp, the Federal Judicial Public Prosecutor’s Office, the National Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the National Unit. The task force focuses on tackling large-scale imports of cocaine via the port of Antwerp to the Netherlands. Fortius works together with the Belgian and Dutch customs, the Fiscal Intelligence and Investigation Service, the tax authorities, the Royal Military Police, and the regional units of the Dutch police.

According to Omroep Brabant, The task force has been active since spring 2022.