Add StudioX as a preferred source on GoogleBelgian customs officers seized a record 21 tonnes of Canadian cannabis at the port of Antwerp in 2025, more than from any other country, according to a CBC News investigation published Wednesday.
That total also beat Morocco, which until recently was Europe’s largest source of illegal cannabis, Belgian officials told CBC.
The findings point to a side effect of Canada’s 2018 decision to legalize cannabis. European officials say criminal groups are shipping Canadian-grown marijuana across the Atlantic because it sells for far more there than at home.
A large price gap
Europol, the European Union’s police agency, told CBC that a kilogram of Canadian cannabis sells wholesale for about 4,100 euros (about $6,429) in the Netherlands, and up to 6,000 euros (about $9,408) in the United Kingdom.
In Canada, the RCMP puts the average wholesale price of a kilogram of dried cannabis at $1,000 to $1,500.
Kristian Vanderwaeren, director general of Belgian Customs and Excise, told CBC he first saw the increase in 2024. Seizures spiked in 2025, and he then asked the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) for help.
“It has to do with the policy of the Canadian government,” Vanderwaeren told CBC.
At Antwerp, marijuana seizures have now overtaken cocaine seizures for the first time, CBC reported. The port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is also seeing more Canadian cannabis this year.
What Canada’s border agency says
The CBSA told CBC its intelligence shows “a sustained increase in illegal export attempts since 2022, particularly to Europe.” Destinations include Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France.
The agency said smugglers use cargo shipments, postal shipments and air passengers. In 2025, CBSA officers seized about 34 tonnes of cannabis products meant for export at maritime border points.
The CBSA also said the RCMP is aware of sophisticated transnational organized crime groups in the illegal cannabis market. Under the Cannabis Act, only regulated imports and exports are allowed; all others are prohibited.
CBC’s report does not name the Canadian ports involved. In July, the Brussels Times, citing an investigation by Britain’s Daily Telegraph, reported that containers bound for Antwerp leave from ports including Vancouver, Montreal, Halifax and Saint John.
Smugglers adapt
Europol told CBC that criminal networks adjust when they run into obstacles, for example by routing containers from Canada through the United States. It said Canadian cannabis bound for Europe could also pass through the Caribbean.
Europol warned the trade “will likely persist and even grow,” given the high potency and low production cost of North American cannabis.
Belgian customs showed CBC examples of hidden shipments. One container, supposedly a family’s belongings, held hollowed-out jukeboxes packed with cannabis. Another hid vacuum-sealed bags behind a front of wooden fire briquettes.
Only one to two per cent of the roughly 13.5 million 20-foot containers that pass through Antwerp each year are inspected, a customs spokesperson said.
Cooperation, not blame
Vanderwaeren said seizures have dipped slightly in recent months, which he credits to stepped-up CBSA efforts. Customs chiefs from Canada, Belgium, France and the Netherlands have signed a letter of intent to work together.
Ine Van Wymersch, Belgium’s drug commissioner, called it “a supply-driven market.” She said both sides need to share information.
“It will not help us to blame each other,” she told CBC.
For Canadians, the story shows how domestic cannabis rules reach well beyond the country’s borders. It is also a reminder that sending cannabis abroad without a federal permit is illegal, including by mail or in luggage.
Sources: CBC News, Canada Border Services Agency, Europol, Belgian Customs and Excise, RCMP, The Brussels Times
Harnaik Singh Rathor is the Founder, Publisher, and Editor-in-Chief of StudioX News Canada, Canada's multilingual digital news network serving multilingual diaspora communities across Canada. With a background in media production, public relations, and multicultural communications, he founded StudioX Film and TV Corporation to bridge the gap between mainstream Canadian media and the country's diverse immigrant communities. He is a member of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), RTDNA Canada, CPRS Vancouver, NEPMCC, and the Canadian Freelance Union (Unifor). Based in Surrey, British Columbia. | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harnaiksinghrathor/ | Muck Rack: https://muckrack.com/harnaiksinghrathor | Email: editor@studioxnews.ca
