Over the past few years the Netherlands and Belgium have become major hubs for drug trafficking in Europe. Almost 80% of the cocaine in Europe has passed through either Rotterdam or Antwerp. This has led to a new phenomenon: the “Mocro Mafia,” Dutch people of Moroccan origin who are engaged in the criminal underworld.
The gangs started by trafficking hashish from Morocco to the Netherlands. Now they use the same routes to transport cocaine, which is far more profitable. They source drugs from the Latin American cartels and traffic the drugs into Europe.
As a result, the “Mocro Mafia” is one of the richest criminal organisations in the world. The trade generates an estimated fifty billion euros in Antwerp alone – 10% of the total budget of the Belgian State. The ultra-violent “Mocro Mafia” gangs have unleashed a reign of terror. They kill lawyers, magistrates, journalists, all without a second thought. They have even threatened government ministers in Belgium and the Netherlands. Anyone who challenges their network is a potential target.
The drug money is so pervasive within the economy that, according to some, Belgium and the Netherlands risk becoming narco-states. This threat has been taken very seriously by the authorities and the police. Public anxiety rose even further after the horrifying discovery of a torture chamber in a shipping container used as an ‘underworld prison’ by the gangs, as well as the murder of journalist Peter de Vries.
We investigate the “Mocro Mafia,” the new ultra-violent criminal organisation which is shaking Europe.
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