Overview
- Brussels’ chief prosecutor, Julien Moinil, says the city has seen a sustained wave of drug-related shootings, reporting 69 gun incidents so far in 2026 and roughly 102 in 2025.
- Prosecutors blame turf wars between rival drug-trafficking gangs for the violence, which has included masked assailants firing automatic weapons and an attack on a police station that wounded bystanders.
- Law enforcement has responded with arrests of adults and minors, the closure of about 350 bars and restaurants since 2025, seizures of roughly 3,500 luxury cars and about €203 million in criminal assets.
- The government has stepped up short-term security with extra officers and mobile cameras and the prime minister has convened security services, but prosecutors say an unmet €10 million funding request and a shortfall of investigators hamper sustained action.
- Authorities warn gangs recruit youths and undocumented migrants and direct operations from abroad, while Antwerp’s port and cross-border links give traffickers access to Europe and complicate prosecutions.