First Etoile Operation of 2026: 3,767 people and 2,342 vehicles checked with numerous seizures
11 Feb. 2026
From 2 to 8 February 2026, police and customs services from Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and France carried out the first Etoile operation of the year. The large-scale checks on roads, buses and international rail connections took place within the framework of strengthened cooperation between the countries. Since 1 October 2023, a new Benelux Police Treaty has officially been in force. This treaty reinforces cross-border security cooperation between the Benelux countries, including in the fight against drugs, and facilitates collaboration with neighbouring countries such as France.
In total, 3,767 people, 2,342 vehicles, 19 buses and 15 trains were checked. The operation resulted in 42 vehicles being seized, 168 individuals found in possession of illegal substances, 37 arrests and 51 drivers under the influence of drugs.
In Belgium, the operation led to the seizure of 13 weapons, €96,091 and $9,200 in cash, 2,828 g of marijuana, 573 g of hashish, 331 g of amphetamines, 64 joints, 123 g of cocaine, 2 g of ketamine, 15 ml of GHB, 25 ecstasy pills, 21 nitrous oxide canisters, 93 g of magic mushrooms, 20 g of synthetic cathinones, 26 kg of tobacco and 14,900 cigarettes.
Notable interventions included the discovery of 313 g of hashish and 1,058 g of marijuana in a vehicle on the E411 (BE), €21,000 hidden in a spare wheel, and—by the Railway Police—the seizure of €39,720, $9,200 and large quantities of illegal medication, leading to five money-laundering cases. Several local police zones also arrested drug runners and seized significant quantities of drugs, including in the police zones (BE) of Dilbeek, Leuven, Vlas, Brasschaat and Turnhout.
In the Netherlands, major successes were also recorded, including 30 kg of marijuana found in a German vehicle, 25 kg of ketamine destined for Belgium, a car equipped with a hidden compartment (now illegal under new Dutch legislation) and two French vehicles carrying a total of 2 kg of marijuana, 1 kg of heroin and 1 kg of amphetamines.
