Cheap hard drugs are fueling a surge of violence in Brussels, according to Mayor Philippe Close.

“I have to point out that it’s cheaper to snort a line of coke than to drink a rum and coke, that synthetic drug labs are everywhere, and that the money involved is just mind-boggling. A single dealing spot can bring in €20,000 a day,” Close said in an interview published in Le Soir on Friday, as he discussed the explosion of drug violence in the city.

Close warned that more police on the beat won’t solve everything, and that it’s crucial to debate why drugs have such a grip on society in the EU’s capital and work with health professionals to address the issue.

“There is an endemic problem which is that — according to wastewater analyses — Brussels and Antwerp are in the top European five for drug consumption. And if we tackle trafficking without asking questions about this consumption of cocaine or synthetic drugs, we will not win this fight,” he said.

Low-cost and easily available narcotics, particularly vast quantities of cocaine arriving through the port of Antwerp, make Belgium a hub for drug distribution in Europe.

This year alone, there have been at least 60 shootings in Brussels, as the illegal drug trade fuels a boom in violent crime. In 2024, 92 shootings claimed the lives of nine people, according to official figures.

To tackle the issue, the Belgian government in July approved a merger of Brussels’ six police zones into a single unit, set to take effect in early 2027. Currently, each police zone has its own regulations, and officers can only operate within their specific jurisdiction, which criminal gangs exploit by moving between zones to evade law enforcement.