Benelux, police cooperation, Safety
Operation Etoile: €106,750 and 6.8 kg of cocaine seized during various checks
07 Dec. 2025
From December 1 to 7, the fifth “Etoile” operation of the year took place as part of the cross-border fight against drug trafficking. Police and customs services from Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and France were involved — with results.
The Hazeldonk cooperation is an important cross-border partnership in the fight against drug distribution networks.
This partnership between France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium is reflected in the “Etoile” operations, the fifth and final of which took place from December 1 to 7.
For a week, checks were carried out in numerous locations, often by mixed international teams of customs and police, facilitating exchanges and rapid responses.
Once again, the operation produced impressive results.
Key results of the operation
- Vehicles checked: 1,867
- Trains checked: 9
- Buses checked: 9
- Vehicles seized: 34
- Persons checked: 2,027
- Persons found in possession: 164
- Persons under the influence of drugs: 49
- Persons arrested: 30
Seizures
- Cash: €106,750
- Weapons: 6
- Hashish: 1,287 g
- Marijuana: 8,316 g
- Joints: 20 pieces
- Ketamine: 98 g
- Spacecake: 72 g
- Cocaine: 6,872 g
- Heroin: 130 g
- Ecstasy: 6 pills
Significant incidents
- On Sunday, December 7, Brussels Railway Police intercepted a man en route to Lille carrying €101,550 in cash.
- That same day, a Dutch national was checked on a train to Rotterdam, coming from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris after a flight from Curaçao. He had 100 cocaine capsules in his body, totaling 1 kg.
- Shortly afterward, a Frenchman was checked with 5 kg of cocaine in his travel bag.
- On December 6, Saint Nicholas Day, the Namur Highway Police found a box in a taxi containing 4.4 kg of marijuana and 1.1 kg of hashish. The hashish packaging even featured an image of the Saint’s key.
- On December 4, the Antwerp Highway Police’s judicial unit intercepted a vehicle with 3 kg of cannabis vacuum-packed in a cardboard box.
- In Liège, a runner was arrested with 26 packets of heroin (130 grams).
International results
- In the Netherlands, on December 3, a Belgian was arrested with 1 kg of crystal hard drugs.
Local actions
- The Turnhout Regional Police checked bus traffic between the Netherlands and Belgium and found small amounts of cannabis and ketamine on several passengers.
- The local Rivierenland Police seized 69 THC vapes.
