Belgium Opens Trial Over €550 Million Sierra Leone‑Linked Cocaine Seizure

A reliable Belgium‑based news source Belga News Agency, break the news | March 19, 2026

The real problem is our refusal to confront the truth. Sierra Leone has allowed weak systems and poor oversight to turn our ports into easy corridors for traffickers and criminal networks.

Belgium has opened a high‑profile criminal trial over the seizure of about 11 tonnes of cocaine that originated from Sierra Leone and was intercepted at the Port of Antwerp in October 2023, with an estimated street value of around €550 million. Prosecutors describe this as one of the largest cocaine seizures ever linked to Belgium, worth roughly €550 million on the European market.

The drugs were hidden in a shipping container that came from Sierra Leone and was destined for the Belgian port of Antwerp. Authorities in Belgium are examining possible complicity by local and international actors, and the case has drawn political attention in Sierra Leone over alleged links to the country’s ports and officials.

The trial centers on a group of 22 people accused of orchestrating or facilitating the import operation, including alleged traffickers, logistics facilitators, and intermediaries. Belgian courts are using this trial to test evidence on smuggling routes, money‑laundering channels, and whether corrupt networks inside Sierra Leone helped conceal the shipment.