We have discovered laboratories that resemble those in Colombia. There was a sort of skill-swapping deal: the Dutch and the Belgians taught the Colombians how to make synthetic drugs, and the Colombians taught them how to process cocaine. It also helped shake things up.”
Who says drug trafficking also says corruption, this too can lead to violence?
“Corruption is essential to traffic: it makes it possible to know where a check will take place, to avoid checks, to locate a container, etc.
It is possible that some of the violence that we witnessed in Antwerp was regarding pressuring corrupt people, to convince them to work for another network, or to force them to continue if they wanted to stop, for example.”
The uncles of the child killed on Monday are suspected of being high-ranking drug traffickers. One of them lives in Dubai. Many drug traffickers take refuge in this Gulf country. A way to protect yourself?
“Without speaking of this Monday’s affair, on which we still have few elements, we can say that, yes, the people who pull the strings do not stay near the hot zones. They take shelter, both physical and criminal risks.Furthermore, at the financial level, since these people have prospects of significant gains, it is also interesting for them to be in a strong financial center where one is not very fussy regarding money.
Again, without assuming what happened on Monday, if someone wants to intimidate or send a message to people who are far from Antwerp, far from the theater of operations, they will not easily to his family who remained nearby.“
Do the facts of Monday make you fear an escalation of violence?
“Yes, IF it is violence with a message gone wrong, with a collateral victim, it is quite likely that those affected will not use legal channels to respond. This might lead to counter-violence.“