Belgium warns Airbnb rentals used as drug stash houses
Bastillepost · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
Belgium's top anti-drug official says criminal groups are exploiting Airbnb-style short-term rentals as flexible stash houses for illicit cash, narcotics, weapons and associated personnel . The warning follows recent police cases in Brussels and West Flanders in which rented properties were allegedly used to store and process cocaine .
Key Points
- National drugs commissioner Ine Van Wymersch said authorities do not yet know the full scale, but gangs are taking advantage of flexible short-stay booking rules .
- Van Wymersch said traffickers can book an apartment or room for three days when they need someone ready to collect cargo from a port at uncertain times .
- In early August, Brussels police found 3.3 kilograms of cocaine and €4,845 in cash in a city-centre apartment rented through Airbnb .
- Investigators said the Brussels flat was being used to store and divide up drugs before distribution .
- In 2024, 11 people were sentenced over a major Belgium-UK trafficking network after police seized drugs worth €21 million at an Airbnb rental in Staden, West Flanders .
Why It Matters
Airbnb's France and Benelux chief, Clément, said such criminal bookings are only a tiny fraction of the platform's millions of annual reservations, but even one case is unacceptable . He said Airbnb has introduced measures including AI to detect suspicious bookings and reports problematic guests to police and local authorities when complaints are received .