My first murder was hard. After that, it became work, said the drug cartel commander calmly

Journalists Sinan Can and Rudi Vranckx investigate the alarming rise of organized crime in the Netherlands and Belgium in their new documentary series, Drugsdelta. The filmmakers argue that these regions have evolved into a central hub for the international drug trade, drawing parallels to notorious cartels depicted in television dramas. By tracking the path of cocaine from recruitment in local neighborhoods like the Bijlmer to port operations in Rotterdam and Antwerp, the project reveals how criminal syndicates operate with both sophistication and extreme violence.

During their investigation, Vranckx interviewed a cartel commander who chillingly described the brutal mechanics of his organization. The criminal explained that coercion is used to force coca farmers to surrender harvests, with murder serving as a routine tool for those who resist. This candid admission underscores the global reach of the drug industry and highlights how local port corruption and recruitment tactics are directly linked to the lethal operations of international cartels, posing a growing security challenge for the Low Countries.