Hazeldonk collaboration accounts for hundreds of kilos of seized drugs

13 Feb. 2025

In 2024, government departments from Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands again cooperated in control operations to tackle organised drug crime. Criminals transport drugs across our national borders, via water, air, rail and road. Large quantities of drugs and other illegal goods were intercepted around border crossings with our neighbouring countries, among others.

Several times a year, multi-day Etoile actions are organised simultaneously in the four countries, as part of the so-called Hazeldonk cooperation. The result of the action weeks shows that cooperation pays off. Last year, for instance, 70,000 XTC pills, 231 kilos of marijuana, 46 kilos of cocaine and 15 kilos of heroin were intercepted. Besides drugs, other illegal goods, or substances for which no clear explanation could be given, were also found. Over €600,000 cash, more than 70 weapons and 100 vehicles were seized. In total, over 12,000 people were checked, 169 of whom were arrested.

Control actions and information sharing

Control actions focus on means of transport of drug couriers as well as public transport. The fact that colleagues from different countries form a team together makes it easier to work across national borders. Besides concrete seizures, these actions also improve the perception of the drug problem and increase expertise and information exchange between colleagues in different countries.

In France, the national police, gendarmerie and customs worked together under the coordination of the French Office for Drug Control (OFAST). This cooperation allowed French customs to seize 177 kilos of cannabis in February in Martinsart, along the motorway close to the Belgian border. The drugs were hidden in two vans that were travelling separately from Spain to the Netherlands. In October, another operation by this department led to the discovery of 11 kilos of xtc in a van en route from Brussels to Paris.

In Luxembourg, several police forces and the Customs and Excise Administration (ADA) carried out checks at stations and trains across the country. In the process, 172 persons, 20 trains and five buses were checked. Seven persons were in possession of drugs. A large quantity of cocaine was seized, as well as small quantities of cannabis and hashish.

Year-round cooperation

The cooperation is not only limited to the Etoile action weeks, but throughout the year the partners know how to find each other well and expertise is shared. Criminal investigations also result from the control actions, leading to new arrests and further seizures of money, goods and large quantities of drugs.

In January 2024, Belgian colleagues from the Federal Road Police in East Flanders checked a vehicle. In it, 317 kilos of XTC – around 800,000 pills, with a street value of €8 million – were found. Investigations into the production site and distribution organisation in the Netherlands and the outlet in France are ongoing. The transfer was planned on Belgian territory near the French border.

Last December, colleagues from the Dutch police’s Infrastructure Department spotted a van with French registration plates driving on the highway. The driver showed suspicious driving behaviour. When checked, the driver said he was transporting two deceased people to the Netherlands, but the documents did not match. The coffins were checked at a funeral home, where it was found that the coffins were filled with sports bags containing 230 kilos of cocaine with a street value of €11.5 million. This information was shared with foreign colleagues to get a complete picture of persons involved, vehicles, locations and travel movements. The investigation is ongoing.

Hazeldonk cooperation

The Hazeldonk cooperation between Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg has existed since 2006 and serves to tackle organised drug distribution networks in a cross-border manner. In recent years, this cooperation has taken off, thanks in part to the support of the Benelux Secretariat-General. Thanks to joint control actions and information exchange, the chances of catching drug couriers travelling between different countries increases and criminal organisations can be fought more effectively.

© Photo Federal Police