For the third consecutive year, fewer drugs were found in the Rotterdam port. Where 45,506 kilos were detected by customs and the port police in 2023, this dropped to 25,900 kilos in 2024. In the ports of Zeeland-West Brabant, 12,664 kilos were found, slightly above the 11,300 kilos in 2023. The total wholesale value of all intercepted drugs is over 917 million euros.
The HARC team, a collaboration between customs, the FIOD, the port police, and the Public Prosecution Service, discovered drugs in the Port of Rotterdam 189 times. Customs, with the support of the port police from Vlissingen, found eleven shipments. The same port police independently intercepted a large shipment in Moerdijk. In 2024, the HARC team in Rotterdam initiated 80 criminal investigations, slightly fewer than the 88 investigations in 2023. This decrease is attributed to the time required for investigations and those that started in 2023 and continued into 2024. In Vlissingen, 25 new investigations were initiated in 2024, with ten from 2023 still ongoing.
Notably, the Acropolis investigation in Zeeland-West Brabant led to the arrest of three men who were the directors of a company in the Vlissingen port, suspected of large-scale cocaine smuggling. The mayor ordered the closure of the bulk goods handling company. Currently, there are no indications linking the decrease in intercepted cocaine in Rotterdam to the slight increase in Zeeland-West Brabant, which includes ports in Terneuzen and Moerdijk.
Interceptors
2023 was a low point for Rotterdam regarding the number of interceptors found, with 452 arrests. In 2024, a significant decrease is observed, with 266 interceptors caught. Most of the arrested interceptors were between 18 and 22 years old (42%). There were 59 minors arrested, with the youngest being 14 and the oldest 63 years old. Despite attempts to secure drugs from refrigerated containers, increased security measures by companies operating in the port and the use of drones by customs have made the port less attractive for interceptors.
In Vlissingen, 12 interceptors were arrested, eight in January 2024. Following the investigation, the suspected clients were identified and also arrested. No interceptors were found on that terminal afterwards, indicating that the smuggling route has likely been shut down due to the intervention.
Increase in smaller shipments
Interestingly, there has been an increase in the number of smaller drug shipments in the Port of Rotterdam, involving consignments of less than 100 kilos. In 2024, there were 115 such cases. This increase might be due to criminals diversifying their risks. However, significant cocaine finds (over 1000 kilos) continue to occur, with the largest seizure in Rotterdam being 3628 kilos. In Moerdijk, the Public Prosecution Service Zeeland-West Brabant dealt with a find of 3097 kilos, while the largest find in Vlissingen was in June when 3630 kilos of cocaine were discovered among bananas.
Public-private partnership
To combat drug smuggling in the ports of Vlissingen and Rotterdam, close collaboration with port companies and shipping companies is crucial. In 2024, this collaboration intensified. Companies have become more alert to signs of corruption. It is reassuring to see that private parties also want to make the ports in Rotterdam and Zeeland-West Brabant (ZWB) safer. Although this is a long-term process, good communication and collaboration are underway. One of the measures taken by companies in Rotterdam is the establishment of a so-called Trust Chain, which uses secure technology to nearly eliminate fraud with PIN codes to access terminal containers.
Like in Rotterdam, the fight against undermining crime in the Zeeland-West Brabant ports remains a high priority. The local port police, present since 2023 with more eyes and ears, focuses entirely on the ZWB ports, not only hunting criminals but also trying to understand their modus operandi. Close collaboration with customs, FIOD, Royal Military Police, and the Public Prosecution Service is crucial. By sharing information at the right moments, drug transports are increasingly intercepted, and criminal networks are better understood.
In 2024, 10 so-called CargoCards were confiscated, two more than in 2023. The card provides access to the port area in Rotterdam and is thus sought after by criminal organizations to get close to containers or to remove them from the premises. The port police prepared 17 administrative reports in 2024 informing companies of possible illegal use of CargoCards or suspicions of illegal use by companies hired for transport. Actions were taken in all cases, demonstrating that the so-called Article 19 WPG procedure is a successful tool in the fight against drug crime.
Strengthening ties with South America
Last year, members of the HARC team visited South America, following an international visit involving delegations from Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Antwerp. It is crucial to maintain close contact with source countries to gain early insights into smuggling methods and information about shipments heading to Europe.
Conversely, information about finds in the Netherlands is shared with source countries to alert them to cocaine transports. The HARC team in Rotterdam received 36 so-called mutual legal assistance requests from abroad in 2023, compared to 22 requests in 2022. This indicates that the exchange of information with foreign law enforcement is increasingly productive, resulting in more drugs being intercepted in source and transit countries.
Additionally, the port police from Rotterdam and Vlissingen, along with customs and the Port Authority, visited South America. In Colombia, a new port is being built in Antioquia, and advice from the Netherlands regarding security measures has been provided.
Number of arrests in criminal collaborations (CSV’s)
In investigations into organized drug smuggling, the HARC team in Rotterdam arrested 47 individuals, presenting them to the examining magistrate. With six additional arrests of individuals not presented, the total reaches 53. Among the suspects were individuals accused of corruption. It remains true that without internal assistance, smuggling cannot occur. Due to ongoing investigations, no statements can be made about the specific roles of those arrested. In Zeeland-West Brabant, 30 individuals were arrested on suspicion of, among other things, membership in a criminal collaboration.
Corruption
Investigations within the joint drug approach increasingly reveal that without internal assistance, smuggling is impossible. This underscores the importance of focusing on both non-official and official corruption in combating it in the ports. Within HARC investigations, non-official corruption is also frequently observed. The Combiteam Havens (CTH) focuses on tackling corruption in the ports, both non-official and official. Last year, the CTH conducted 15 corruption investigations, resulting in the seizure of approximately 350,000 euros in unlawfully obtained benefits.
The information arising from corruption investigations within HARC and CTH is utilized for public-private collaboration. Last year, cooperation was intensified where possible with major container terminals, various shipping companies, and large fruit companies. A notable example of the effect of a corruption investigation was the suspicion of a corrupt port employee who played a crucial role in the supply chain. Thanks to the CTH investigation, the vulnerability of a secured system was revealed, allowing the private partner to improve security issues through new barriers.
Financial results
In 2023, the HARC team was further expanded to enhance its financial capabilities. The inclusion of several FIOD investigators within the team led to increased attention to financial investigations in all HARC cases. In 2023, 330,000 euros were seized in goods and cash. In 2024, this amount rose to €1,047,040. Despite fewer interceptors being arrested, the team made more seizures, including over 500,000 euros worth of vehicles and vessels and nearly 400,000 euros in cash. Significantly fewer designer goods were found. An Audi seized by the Public Prosecution Service from a criminal was donated to the Rotterdam Technical College as part of social repurposing.
Additionally, the FIOD collaborated intensively with the police and Public Prosecution Service in Zeeland-West Brabant in the Akropolis investigation. Alongside the arrests of the three directors, approximately one and a half million euros were seized from them. The Public Prosecution Service in Zeeland-West Brabant also prioritizes asset forfeiture. The examining magistrate authorized conservatory seizures totaling 2,383,000 euros. The port police successfully seized 496,501.75 euros worth of assets and an additional 475,053.72 euros worth of valuable goods, including two telescopic cranes.
Combating on multiple fronts
The fight against drug issues in the ports involves many teams with varying compositions and approaches. While the HARC team focuses on drug seizures and arrests within CSVs, other teams work to structurally disrupt various modus operandi or have been handling the arrests of interceptors for years.
Efforts are being made to apprehend corrupt links in the port, digital surveillance is conducted based on big data, project-based research is undertaken to disrupt criminal power structures, and front companies are identified and dismantled. Insights gained from this comprehensive fight against drug smuggling reveal shifts in how drug criminals operate.
Not just cocaine
Annual figures show that not only cocaine is smuggled via the ports. More cannabis was intercepted in the Port of Rotterdam this year than last year. In 2023, the scale stopped at 1,037 kilos, while in 2024 it rose to 9,864 kilos. In Vlissingen, 118 kilos of hashish were found. Most shipments originate from Canada, where the cultivation of cannabis is legalized. Like cocaine, these consignments are often destined for transit through the Netherlands to other countries further into Europe. A total of 3,475 kilos of highly addictive and harmful crystal meth were also intercepted, including a shipment destined for a Brabant company via Rotterdam. As usual, all drug finds were destroyed by the Special Assistance Team of customs.
Special hiding places
Drug criminals continue to smuggle cocaine from source countries in South America primarily via fruit shipments, especially through banana transports in Vlissingen. However, the HARC team has also observed other unusual hiding places, such as the discovery of cocaine among a shipment of scrap and a shipment of strong drinks. The discovery among a container full of wood is also noteworthy.
In Vlissingen, a drug shipment of 61.5 kilos of cocaine was discovered hidden in the flaps of boxes with bananas. The most remarkable drug load was found in the port of Moerdijk, where nearly 3,100 kilos of cocaine, divided into thousands of loose packages, was hidden in a telescopic crane from South America. It took the enforcement services hours to extract the drugs.
The fight against drug smuggling continues unabated
The seizures of 2024 show that the ports of Zeeland-West Brabant and Rotterdam remain attractive areas for criminals to bring drugs ashore. This requires constant vigilance from law enforcement agencies, but also from businesses. The consequences of organized, undermining crime are felt in both regions, with explosions at doorsteps, threats, and shootings severely impacting the sense of safety. This is a significant concern. Therefore, the fight against undermining crime must and will continue unabated.