An investigating judge at the Antwerp Court has issued a dire warning: the city's sprawling container port, Europe's cocaine gateway, is morphing Belgium into a 'narco-state', dominated by mafia-like smuggling syndicates.
'Extensive mafia structures have taken hold, becoming a parallel force that challenges not only the police but also the judiciary,' the judge wrote in an open letter to Belgium's Justice Committee.
The judge, who penned the letter anonymously, paints a picture of an illegal economy, rampant corruption and outsourced violence that now threatens the foundations of the rule of law.