The journalists involved in the report say they have spoken to 50 lorry drivers who had received offers from suspicious persons to transport items. Trucks with containers bound for the UK or Scandinavia are said to be especially targeted.
In one extreme case, rtl nieuws writes that a package of drugs was snuck onto a lorry and later taken by a gang. The gang members staged a fake breakdown in front of the truck to slow it down before holding a gun to the driver’s head to ensure the narcotics could be recovered.
The lorry involved in the incident belongs to Daily Logistics, whose director Joost Visbeen has expressed concern about the threats to drivers and hauliers from drugs gangs:
“This is not normal. I am certainly concerned. The number of incidents is increasing and they are becoming more and more brutal and violent,” Visbeen told rtl nieuws.
One driver said he had received a suspicious offer on a piece of paper on his windscreen, which contained details on how to connect via Telegram. Another claimed he was approached at a petrol station by a group of men in designer gear who made it clear they would hurt him if he refused to comply.
Moreover, another HGV driver, whose real name has not been disclosed, explained to rtl nieuws of how he had experienced such a situation. He claims he was visited by criminals who put him under pressure to collect a particular container from a port. After refusing, it is alleged that a car followed his movements, while a GPS tracker was placed on his truck. The report adds that the container in question was eventually found by customs; it was found to contain tens of millions of euros worth of cocaine. The owner-driver also claimed that the affair had turned his life upside down, prompting him to give up a profession that he loved.
Asked to comment on the situation with drugs trafficking, Inspector Maikel Dop said:
“With the growth in drugs crime, the number of incidents against truck drivers is increasing. Certainly trips to Scandinavia and the United Kingdom are popular with criminals. Drug prices are a lot higher there, so smuggling to those countries can be very lucrative.”
To remedy the problem, some drivers have called for more secure parking areas as a special hotline for reporting incidents.
However, there are concerns that if nothing is done, and the big ports Rotterdam, Antwerp and Vlissingen continue to take steps to snuff out drugs trafficking, it will only put even more pressure on truckers.
Photo: Henk Monster, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons