Belgium: drug dealers increasingly caught on trains

More and more drug dealers in Belgium are caught on trains transporting narcotics, Belgian radio station VRT reported on Thursday.

According to the federal railway police, often they are coming from, or on their way to, another European destination, such as The Netherlands.

Increasingly, people are apprehended while attempting to smuggle hard drugs, said police.

"During an inspection on the train we watch out for a little of everything. If someone looks away or looks dismayed, is the first indication that they are hiding something," explained Nick Noel of the railway police.

Drugs such as heroin, cocaine and marijuana are routinely discovered in large quantities, he said.

"We are a transit country and one described frequently as an international hub," he told VRT listeners.

"Brussels is centrally located between major cities such as Amsterdam, Paris, Cologne, and London. And with Schengen, the free movement of persons and goods, one can travel without any form of control from point A to B."

According to the officer, drug dealers see trains as an easier way of smuggling drugs than airports, which have stricter security controls. "With us you can move freely, and so there is a certain market," he said. Endit