The Italian mafia controls European drug trafficking from the Belgian province of Limburg. That is what the Limburg attorney, Guido Vermeiren, says in a Christmas broadcast. The mafia operates from Limburg, via the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam, according to Vermeiren.

The attorney says it like this: "You will not see them immediately. What is being done from here (Belgian Limburg - Crimesite editorial team) is organizing the major drug transports, including across Europe. If in Antwerp cocaine arrives in the port, part of it is ordered by Limburg gangs. There are problems in Antwerp, but actually the organization is often here. '

Family ties
Vermeiren continues: "I think there are a lot of historical reasons for this. That there are familial ties that still play a role, and then I speak about international connections with the Italian mafia structures. But I also think that there is an explanation in the fact that they did not address this in time. '

According to the prosecutor, a collaboration has now started between the Belgian and Italian authorities to combat drug trafficking.

The Italian mafia is also active in the Netherlands . In September of this year it became known that the Dutch police have rigged a team that focuses entirely on the Italian mafia. In mid-October, mafioso Saverio Tucci was found dead in his car in Amsterdam South. He would have been liquidated.