Record amounts of Canadian cannabis seized as smuggling to Europe soars
Belgian customs seized a record 21 tonnes of Canadian cannabis at the Port of Antwerp in 2025, more than from any other country. Canadian border agents seized about 34 tonnes of cannabis products bound for export that year, as smugglers chased far higher prices in Europe. Canada, Belgium, France and the Netherlands have signed a letter of intent to fight the trade together.
- Belgian customs seized a record 21 tonnes of Canadian cannabis at the Port of Antwerp in 2025, more illegal cannabis than arrived from any other country, overtaking Morocco.
- Canada's border agency says its officers stopped roughly 34 tonnes of cannabis bound for export at sea ports in 2025, and attempts to ship it out illegally have been climbing steadily since 2022.
- Most of the shipments were headed to Europe, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France, and moved by cargo, by post and with air passengers.
- The price gap drives the trade: a kilogram of cannabis wholesales for about $1,000 to $1,500 in Canada, compared with roughly $6,429 in the Netherlands and up to about $9,408 in the United Kingdom.
- Antwerp officers have uncovered one-kilo vacuum-sealed pouches tucked into crates masked by a layer of wooden fire briquettes, plus more cannabis packed inside two emptied-out jukeboxes in a household-goods container headed to France.
- Antwerp-Bruges moves cargo equal to roughly 13.5 million 20-foot containers a year, yet inspectors manage to open only about one or two in every hundred.
- The customs heads of Canada, Belgium, France and the Netherlands have signed a letter of intent to co-operate, while Europol warns the trade will likely persist and grow because of strong European demand.
Source: CBC News. Visit the CBCNEWSAPP for the full story.
🌟Join CANADA BRANDS® Media campaigns to get your business featured as a Top Brand & Franchise:
https://Canada-Brands.ca/products/Brands
Follow Canada Brands® for daily news and brand updates! 🇨🇦✨
Share this with a Canadian business owner — how can Canada stop record amounts of its legal cannabis from being smuggled to Europe?
#CanadaBrands #CanadianBusiness #CanadaNews #Cannabis #Europe
Leave a comment