Antwerp investigating judge in safe house for months amid Belgium's escalating drug crisis
An Antwerp investigating judge has been forced into hiding, living in a safe house under heavy police protection for months due to serious threats from the drug world. The Antwerp public prosecutor’s office confirmed the situation to De Standaard on Thursday but declined to provide details, citing an ongoing judicial investigation.
Philippe Van Linthout and Jean-Louis Doyen, chairmen of the Association of Investigating Judges, sounded the alarm in an opinion piece. "Fellow investigating judges are under special security. Another colleague had to go into hiding and has been living in a safe house under heavy police surveillance for months," they wrote.
This wave of intimidation stems from investigations into organised crime, particularly following the 2021 cracking of Sky ECC, an encrypted messaging platform widely used in criminal circles. The operation led to the arrests of thousands of suspects, including figures at the top of the international drug trade.
"In the mobile phones of criminals that have been seized, we find the names of investigating judges and the license plates of their cars," Van Linthout revealed. He also described chilling moments when suspects displayed their knowledge of judges’ personal lives, "When suspects come before us, they say things like: 'That tie, you wear it often, don't you?' Or they refer to their hobbies. All to show what they know," said Linthout.
The crisis isn’t confined to the judiciary. National Drug Commissioner Ine Van Wymersch painted a grim picture during the Great Drugs Debate at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) on Wednesday. She warned of a looming societal collapse driven by drug trafficking and violence, particularly in Brussels and Antwerp. "Drug dealers and gangs are building a parallel society outside the rule of law," Van Wymersch said, describing a network of about 25,000 people operating within criminal organisations that exploit over 85 per cent of legal structures.
"Belgium’s degeneration into a narco-state"
Van Wymersch cautioned that inaction could lead to Belgium’s degeneration into a narco-state, with drug gangs infiltrating administrative systems. “The next step is infiltration at the administrative level,” she said. She highlighted the staggering profits of drug gangs, who earn tens of billions of euros annually while authorities seize only 1-2 per cent of those assets.
Seized funds, Van Wymersch argued, should be reinvested in public welfare, particularly healthcare. Beyond financial measures, she advocated for a comprehensive approach to fighting drug crime. "People on the ground are tired and feel like they are mopping with the tap open. We need to make mopping meaningful again."
One potential strategy involves decriminalising drug use for adults. “De facto decriminalisation at the level of the public prosecutor’s office creates an enormous administrative burden for the police,” she noted, adding that formal decriminalisation must be paired with massive investments in public health. Without this, achieving a safe society would be impossible.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS
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