The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) has launched an investigation into suspected customs fraud, corruption and document forgery linked to operations in the Port of Antwerp, alleging a scheme that caused an estimated €11.3 million in lost EU import duties. 

In an operation on Jan. 20, EPPO said authorities carried out seven searches, arrested three people, and seized multiple bank accounts and cash, under the supervision of an investigating judge in Antwerp. The action involved 48 customs and police officers from Belgium’s General Administration of Customs and Excise and units of the Belgian Federal Police (including CDBC, FCCU and a canine unit), with support from the Dutch Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD), EPPO said. 

Based on the evidence gathered, EPPO said a customs official and two managers of companies active in customs operations are suspected of working together from the Port of Antwerp to run the fraud scheme.  

The disclosure follows the October publication of an open letter by a Belgian judge who warned that the country is in danger of evolving into a “narco-state” as organized crime has wrested control over key institutions to exploit Antwerp’s port to smuggle cocaine into Europe. The judge, who published the letter anonymously after spending four months in a safe house due to threats, said criminal syndicates have established “extensive mafia structures” to undermine police and courts alike. 

“The consequences are serious: are we evolving into a narco-state?” the judge wrote at the time. “According to our drug commissioner, this evolution has begun. My colleagues and I share this sentiment.” 

EPPO said its current investigation began in 2024 following a complaint by Belgium’s customs and excise administration, and noted all suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in Belgian courts.

Read more at EPPO