A court in Belgium is warning that the country is at risk of becoming a so-called narco state, as authorities struggle to contain the growing influence of organized drug trafficking networks operating through its ports.

In an interview with the Guardian, Antwerp Court of Appeal President Bart Willocx warned that Belgium has become increasingly vulnerable to drug smuggling at its busiest shipping hubs, with criminal networks infiltrating port operations, bribing workers, and using the country as a gateway for cocaine entering Europe. At one point, a port worker was said to have been paid €250,000 ($290,000) by criminals to move a single container, while workers who refuse to help gangs have faced threats to both themselves and their families.

This comes after an anonymous judge published an open letter in October 2025, claiming that "extensive mafia structures" had become entrenched in Belgium's ports.

"What is happening in our jurisdiction and beyond today is no longer a classic crime issue," the judge said in their letter. "We face an organized threat that undermines our institutions."

Europol estimates that more than 70% of cocaine entering Europe came through Antwerp and Rotterdam in 2024, and criminals are believed to have expanded their networks to include smaller ports over the last year as well. Willocx said that the situation shows how much drug trafficking groups have already penetrated Belgian society, and warned that the country risks losing control if authorities fail to push back against the growing influence of organized crime.

Willocx also points to a "vicious cycle" for Belgium's underfunded legal system, where courts and prosecutors have faced further calls for funding cuts for failing to address the crisis with already-limited resources. Judges have proposed 100 reforms in the meantime, to address safety concerns for court officials, prison overcrowding, and the growing backlog of complex organized crime cases tied to the country’s expanding drug trade.