Belgian bunnies will be a treat for children around the world this Easter weekend, but not all are molded with the country’s famous chocolate praline. A batch seized this week at Brussels International Airport was made from a block of MDMA intended to be converted into ecstasy pills, a drug used during rave parties (techno parties), explains Pol Meuleneire, 61 years, a Belgian customs veteran.
Considered as a gateway to Europe for cocaine manufactured in Latin America, Belgium has also become a hub for synthetic drugs manufactured in Europe and shipped around the world by post. Pol Meuleneire, who is due to retire in a few months, told how times have changed compared to his early career, when finding just 10g of cannabis in an envelope aroused the excitement of customs officials. Today, his workspace in an office block in the cargo area of Brussels Airport is overflowing with suspicious packages and bags and jars full of illegal pills and powders.
“Today, people can order online on the dark web in a few clicks and have it delivered to their home,” said Florence Angelici, spokesperson for the kingdom’s federal public finance service.
The fake chocolate bunnies intercepted at the cargo terminal of Brussels airport had been packed and posted in Belgium in a package bound for Hong Kong. Pol Meuleneire also discovered several other illicit products. A ‘Peppa Pig’ branded lunch box destined for New Zealand seemed normal at first glance, but the packaging was too heavy to be just cardboard and plastic. It was filled with ketamine, an anesthetic used as a recreational drug. This substance is one of the illegal exports most often discovered at the airport postal centre. In 2022, 6 tonnes of drugs were seized at Brussels International Airport.