Safety
Major seizures totaling €152,645 during the fourth Étoile operation of 2025!
13 Oct. 2025
From Monday, October 6 to Sunday, October 12, 2025, police and customs services from Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France jointly carried out the fourth Étoile operation of the year. This cross-border operation targeting drug distribution networks led to numerous seizures in Belgium. This including 12 vehicles, 12 weapons, and no less than €152,645 in cash.
The Étoile operation is part of the Hazeldonk cooperation framework. This brings together police and customs services from the Benelux and France to combat organized drug distribution networks and criminal organizations involved in this phenomenon. Authorities carried out checks in many locations over the course of one week. This often by mixed teams of customs officers and police, facilitating international exchanges and enabling swift responses.
In Belgium, the deployed teams checked a total of 1,009 individuals, 609 vehicles, and 3 trains. Among those checked, 68 were found in possession of drugs, and 14 were under the influence. Additionally, 15 individuals were arrested and 12 vehicles were seized.
Seizures in Belgium
- Ketamine: 3.069 kg
- Hashish: 1.619 kg
- Space cake: 802 g
- Marijuana: 554 g
- Cocaine: 10 g
- Joints: 10 pieces
- Ecstasy: 5 tablets
- Weapons: 12
- Cash: €152,645
Key incidents
On Tuesday, October 7, the Brussels Railway Police checked three Brussels residents and seized a total of €98,845 in cash found in their possession.
Five days later, the Railway Police checked a person on a train heading to Brussels who was carrying 500 grams of hashish. Investigators searched their home in Sint-Niklaas and found over a kilogram of additional hashish.
On Thursday, October 9, the Antwerp police zone conducted several checks in the Berendrecht area. During these checks, they discovered three kilograms of ketamine hidden in bags placed on the back seat of a vehicle registered in France.
Later, during the same control operation, police intercepted a Dutch vehicle with three occupants. The individuals were in possession of jewelry, bank cards, and a tablet stolen a few hours earlier from an elderly woman in the Netherlands by someone posing as a police officer. During the search, officers also found a loaded but not cocked .38 caliber firearm.
Finally, on the afternoon of October 12, the Flexteam of the Grensleie police zone, in collaboration with colleagues from the West Flanders highway police and Roeselare customs, arrested a dealer who had been wanted for some time.
picture (c) fedpol
