| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 20,000-30,000 |
The exact number of Surinamese people in Belgium is unknown. The (legal) Surinamese community in the Belgian capital is in any case very small: In 2015, only two Surinamese women were enrolled in Brussels [1] along with a number of men); in 2012 this was only one. According to figures quoted "in the corridors" of the Surinamese Embassy in Belgium, the total number of Surinamese people in Belgium would be about 30,000, or at least 20,000. [2] According to the diaspora organisation Suriname Diaspora Solidarity Belgium (Surisobe), half of them are illegally present in the country. However, it is not known how Surisobe calculated this number. In October 2016, the embassy indicated that more precise figures are now being mapped out. [2]
Some of the Surinamese people in Belgium use the so-called "Belgian route": they come and live in Belgium with their Dutch partner to circumvent the stricter rules on family reunification in the Netherlands. Their stay in the country is therefore only temporary. [3]
There have been repeated incidents involving Surinamese people in Belgium in drug trafficking to the country. From 1990–1991, a group of Surinamese people with ties to the Surinamese army smuggled cocaine using their own airline, Trans-Caribbean Airlines, to transport the drugs from Paramaribo to Ostend airport. [4] In 2013, four people, including two Surinamese people, suspected of taking small quantities of cannabis and cocaine from the Netherlands to Belgium every fortnight, were arrested. [5]
In 2015 an organisation of fifteen Surinamese people smuggled cocaine into Belgium and sold ecstasy and cannabis in Antwerp. In 2016, ten people were arrested near Mol and Balen who were suspected of smuggling large quantities of cocaine from Suriname to Belgium via French Guiana. In addition, two were picked up in Cayenne. [6] The group consisted of both Surinamese and Dutch people of Surinamese descent. [7]
While recreational use, possession and trade of non-medicinal drugs described by the Opium Law are all technically illegal under Dutch law, official policy since the late 20th century has been to openly tolerate all recreational use while tolerating the other two under certain circumstances. This pragmatic approach was motivated by the idea that a drug-free Dutch society is unrealistic and unattainable, and efforts would be better spent trying to minimize harm caused by recreational drug use. As a result of this gedoogbeleid, the Netherlands is typically seen as much more tolerant of drugs than most other countries.
Suriname, officially the Republic of Suriname, is a country in northern South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north, French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, and Brazil to the south. At just under 165,000 square kilometers, it is the smallest sovereign state in South America.
Desiré Delano Bouterse is a Surinamese military officer, politician, convicted murderer and drug trafficker who served as President of Suriname from 2010 to 2020. From 1980 to 1987, he was Suriname's de facto leader after conducting a military coup and establishing a period of military rule. In 1987, Bouterse founded the National Democratic Party (NDP). On 25 May 2010, Bouterse's political alliance, the Megacombinatie, which included the NDP, won the parliamentary elections, and on 19 July 2010, Bouterse was elected as President of Suriname with 36 of 50 parliament votes. He was inaugurated on 12 August 2010.
The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through the use of drug prohibition laws. The think tank Global Financial Integrity's Transnational Crime and the Developing World report estimates the size of the global illicit drug market between US$426 and US$652 billion in 2014 alone. With a world GDP of US$78 trillion in the same year, the illegal drug trade may be estimated as nearly 1% of total global trade. Consumption of illegal drugs is widespread globally and it remains very difficult for local authorities to thwart its popularity.
Hinduism is a minority religion in the Netherlands, representing about 1.0% of the Dutch population in 2019. After the United Kingdom and Italy, the third largest Hindu community of Europe lives in the Netherlands. There are between 150,000 – 200,000 Hindus currently living in the Netherlands, the vast majority of who migrated from Suriname – a former Dutch colony in South America. There are also sizable populations of Hindu immigrants from India, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, as well as a smaller number of Western adherents of Hinduism-oriented new religious movements.
The Macedonian mafia is a body of illegal gangs and criminal organizations operating in North Macedonia and within the Macedonian diaspora. The organizations are primarily involved in smuggling, arms trafficking, heists, drug trafficking, protection rackets, and illegal gambling. The mafia is composed of several major organized groups, which in turn have wider networks in Macedonia and throughout Europe.
Diplomatic relations between the United States and Suriname were established on 23 January 1976. Suriname has an embassy in Washington, D.C. since 1976, and a consulate in Miami. The United States had a consulate in Paramaribo since 25 November 1975, the date of independence which was upgraded to an embassy on 18 February 1976.
Evert Guillaume Gonesh is a Surinamese diplomat, politician, and writer of Indian descent. He served as the Surinamese Ambassador to the Netherlands.
Surinamese people are people who identify with the country of Suriname. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Surinamese, several of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being Surinamese.
Indians in the Netherlands are residents of Indian origin in the Netherlands. The majority of the people of Indian descent in the Netherlands are of Indo-Surinamese origin. More recently the flow of emigrants from India has increased, especially information technology professionals, as well as from Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, mostly those married to Indo-Surinamese.
Ronnie Brunswijk is a Surinamese politician, businessman, former rebel leader, and convicted drug trafficker, who is serving as the current Vice President of Suriname.
Border Force (BF) is a law-enforcement command within the Home Office, responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports in the United Kingdom. The force was part of the now defunct UK Border Agency from its establishment in 2008 until Home Secretary Theresa May demerged it in March 2012 after severe criticism of the senior management.
Shaheed "Roger" Khan is a Guyanese criminal who was active in drugs trafficking, money laundering and arms smuggling. He trafficked cocaine from Colombia into the United States and used construction and forestry businesses to launder money. Khan was considered to be Guyana's most powerful drug lord. In US embassy cables published by WikiLeaks Khan's control over Guyana is compared with Pablo Escobar's erstwhile control over Colombia.
Satudarah MC is a one-percenter outlaw motorcycle club that has spread the globe since being founded in the Netherlands town of Moordrecht in 1990.
Organized crime in the Netherlands, sometimes called penose is the organised criminal underbelly in Amsterdam and other major cities. Penose usually means the organizations formed by criminals of Dutch descent. It is a slang word coming from the old Amsterdam Bargoens language.
Netherlands–Suriname relations refers to the current and historical relations between the Netherlands and Suriname. Both nations share historic ties and a common language (Dutch) and are members of the Dutch Language Union.
Cannabis in Suriname is illegal. Cannabis is the most popular illegal drug in Suriname.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Suriname was caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Suriname on 13 March 2020. The case was a person who travelled from the Netherlands the previous week. On 3 April 2020, one person died. On 3 May 2020, all nine cases had recovered. On 18 May, an eleventh case was identified.
Maritime cocaine smuggling refers to the practice which involves the smuggling of cocaine between borders via maritime means. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are an estimated 18 million users of cocaine globally. Approximately 70-80% of cocaine is at some point smuggled across the ocean, originating from South America. Cocaine remains the "highest value criminal commodity for transnational organised crime", motivating the criminal organisations responsible for maritime smuggling practices. Maritime cocaine smuggling is therefore an ongoing international issue, as criminal organisations are finding new and innovative ways of smuggling cocaine and go undetected by authorities.
The Moroccan mafia is a term that describes various criminal organisations that are mainly made up of people from Moroccan descent. These organisations are specialised in trafficking large quantities of cocaine and synthetic drugs through Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Belgium, from where it is distributed to the rest of the European continent, thus being one of the most dominant participants in the European drug trade.
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