The local investigation team of the Blankenberge-Zuienkerke police identified a Dutch criminal organization from the Roosendaal region. This group has allegedly been illegally importing cannabis into Belgium in an organized and hierarchical manner since 2019.

There is evidence that this organization established an extensive customer base throughout Flanders and heavily relied on digital marketing, promoting narcotics and offering discounts. The organization operated its own webshop with a call center, and orders were placed via an encrypted communication app. The investigation also uncovered a network of suppliers, packers, and money launderers.  

Mutual Legal Assistance
Within the framework of mutual legal assistance, the Netherlands provided support to Belgium, and under the direction of the public prosecutor responsible for mutual legal assistance, searches were conducted in West Brabant on behalf of the investigating judge in Bruges.  Due to the scale, the Zeeland-West Brabant police unit received assistance from the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (KMar).

On December 16, 2025, a total of ten locations were searched in the towns of Roosendaal, Wouw, Sint Willebrord, Bergen op Zoom, and Oudenbosch. These included a so-called stash location (a secret storage place for drugs or weapons) and nine residences. Seven people were arrested in total: three 29-year-old men from Oudenbosch, Wouw, Roosendaal; three 33-year-old men from Roosendaal, Bergen op Zoom, and Steenbergen; and a 36-year-old man without a fixed residence or place of stay.

Simultaneously, five searches were conducted in Belgium in Pelt, Lievegem, Zemst, Wervik, and Bevergem. Four couriers were arrested. They are four men aged 22, 32, 39, and 51 years.

Seizures
During the searches in the Netherlands and Belgium, various goods were seized, including:

  • Luxury goods, including luxury watches worth up to 75,000 euros
  • Two luxury vehicles
  • 200,000 euros in cash
  • Approximately 200 kilos of cannabis and other drugs
  • A firearm and ammunition
  • Cobras
  • Laptops and a large quantity of phones

International Cooperation
Involved agencies, including the Zeeland-West Brabant police unit, the Public Prosecution Service Zeeland-West Brabant, the Belgian police, and the investigating judge in Bruges, have been working together for about one and a half years to gain insight into the trade flows of the criminal organization. The arrests and seizures are the result of excellent cooperation among the involved agencies.

Both national and international police services and justice authorities continue to tirelessly work to structurally dismantle criminal networks.