Brussels gang wars: Cocaine money propels violence, drugs czar says

Megabucks cocaine trafficking has fueled a surge in gang violence in Brussels, according to the senior official in charge of combating Belgium’s drugs problem.

In the past three days, four shootings have rocked the capital, culminating in a deadly attack in Anderlecht in the early hours on Friday. While investigations are still ongoing, authorities are attributing the escalating bloodshed to turf wars between rival drug gangs with big guns.

“This is not just some street criminality. This is gang stuff,” Belgium’s Drug Commissioner Ine Van Wymersch told POLITICO Friday morning.