Short-term rental bookings have become a conduit for the storage and packaging of drugs, as well as a means to hide weapons and cash, according to Ine Van Wymersch, Belgium’s national commissioner for drug trafficking prevention.
These Airbnb-type rentals are reportedly exploited by criminal groups as hideouts for illegal activities. Van Wymersch highlighted that the expanding e-commerce sector significantly facilitates organized crime.
Authorities remain unaware of the full extent of this issue, with criminals taking advantage of the flexibility offered by short-term rental platforms. “You need someone to pick up a shipment from the port. You don’t know exactly when the ship will arrive. Well, you can rent an apartment or studio on Airbnb for three days. It’s very flexible,” she explained.
Van Wymersch acknowledged that short-term rental companies serve a legitimate purpose but must enhance their resilience to prevent misuse by criminals.
In early August, Belgian police seized 3.3 kilograms of cocaine and €4,845 in cash from an Airbnb rental in central Brussels, believed to be used for drug storage and packaging, according to the Belga news agency. In 2024, it was publicly revealed that drugs valued at €21 million were confiscated from another Airbnb rental in Staden, West Flanders, during a large drug trafficking operation involving 11 individuals.
While a spokesperson for Airbnb in Belgium declined to comment directly, they referred to recent statements by Clément Eulry, the national director of Airbnb for France and the Benelux countries. Eulry stated that such criminal bookings constitute an extremely small fraction of the millions processed annually. However, he acknowledged that every case is “one too many” and emphasized the company’s measures, including AI use for identifying suspicious bookings, and reporting problematic tenants to police and local authorities.
Short-term rentals represent just one facet of the modern economy that facilitates organized crime. Van Wymersch pointed to the ease of creating anonymous email accounts, encrypted communications, cryptocurrency, and the prevalence of delivery services. “E-commerce’s rapid growth significantly enhances the operations of organized crime,” she stated.
Moreover, courier companies are also at risk of becoming tools for organized crime, as activities that might look suspicious, such as a white van stopping in front of a neighbor’s house, no longer raise alarms.
Belgium: The Main Gateway for Drugs into Europe
In 2023, Van Wymersch became Belgium’s first national commissioner for drug trafficking prevention, following Antwerp’s emergence as the main entry point for cocaine into Europe.
Her appointment came amid a wave of violence and threats related to drug trafficking, including an incident in 2022 where the then-Belgian Minister of Justice had to live under police protection due to an alleged kidnapping plot. Antwerp has seen several grenade attacks and the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old girl caught in the crossfire of rival drug gangs.
Last year, a judge who wished to remain anonymous warned that Belgium risks becoming a “narco-state,” criticizing the government’s response to rising drug-related violence.
Van Wymersch has raised concerns about Belgium potentially devolving into a narco-state, emphasizing that without action, it could be difficult to discern the good guys from the bad.
Her focus is on tracking the money generated from criminal activities: “This multi-headed monster has a single heart, and that is money.” Her strategy targets small businesses—such as hair salons, nail salons, or late-night shops—used for money laundering. She urged local authorities to inspect and investigate any “dodgy shops” in their neighborhoods, noting that these small businesses form a massive network.
Criminal organizations have altered their operational methods, leveraging small enterprises rather than relying on the large money laundering structures of the past. Van Wymersch added that organized crime has transitioned from top-down hierarchical structures, which depend on trust, to more anonymous, less structured networks where criminals “no longer know to which network they belong.”
Illicit activities are outsourced to various gangs specializing in money laundering, procurement, or arms use. “It is, in fact, crime as a service, and it is very opportunistic,” she explained.
Following a rapid rise within the Belgian judiciary, Van Wymersch is known for articulating an “iceberg strategy” to combat organized crime linked to drug trafficking. She described that while shootings and explosions are the visible tip of the iceberg, the submerged part includes issues not always related to organized crime, such as casualties from drug-influenced drivers, domestic violence victims, and sexual crimes driven by drug use.
Emphasizing the importance of police, she argued that society must engage youth to prevent them from falling into drug trafficking gangs—essentially melting the iceberg. “We need to invest in ‘heating up the water,’” she stated, referring to education, poverty reduction strategies, adequate housing, and fair wages for delivery workers.
In Brussels, police recorded 101 shootings in 2025, a figure that, according to local media, represents a record, often resulting from territorial conflicts between gangs. Van Wymersch sees a connection between the rise in shootings and social issues, stating, “Those who shoot are people with no prospects.”
In Brussels, 12.8% of individuals aged 15-29 are neither in education, employment, nor training—higher than the national average—though figures have shown a downward trend since the early 2000s.
“It is naive to believe that a purely repressive approach will reduce shootings,” Van Wymersch concluded. “We will see fewer shootings only when there are fewer vulnerable individuals. We need to strengthen the resilience of society as a whole.”
The European Association of Holiday Homes, representing Airbnb and other platforms, indicated that such companies are best positioned to address this issue. Van Wymersch stated her team intends to connect with online booking platforms: “What we want to find out now is what criteria indicate a suspicious booking, what can we learn from this, and how we can help you become more resilient.”
