403 Caught With Drugs, 32 Dealers Arrested at Tomorrowland
Belgian authorities have released the final enforcement figures from this year’s Tomorrowland electronic music festival, reporting that 403 festival-goers were caught with drugs and 32 people were arrested for drug dealing across the two festival weekends in Boom, Belgium. Combined fines from out-of-court settlements reached €104,100, according to the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office.
Context and Security Operation
Tomorrowland, one of the world’s largest electronic dance music festivals, draws tens of thousands of international visitors annually to De Schorre provincial park in Boom, Antwerp Province. This year, the Federal Police took direct operational command of festival security for the first time, deploying more than 300 officers daily in a new dual command structure with regular and crisis management cells.
As VRT NWS reported, plainclothes officers patrolled inside the festival grounds to maintain a festive atmosphere while detecting drug dealing and theft. Federal Police spokesperson An Berger emphasized the balancing act, stating that “Tomorrowland must primarily remain a festival. The intention is not for visitors to constantly notice that police are present.”
Drug Enforcement and Testing
Those caught with personal-use quantities of drugs were offered immediate out-of-court settlements, had their substances confiscated, lost their festival wristbands, and were removed from the grounds. The 32 arrested dealers received direct summons to appear before a dedicated Tomorrowland thematic court session scheduled for 25 November 2026. According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, one of those arrested — a Dutch national — had already been convicted for dealing at Tomorrowland in 2024.
The National Institute for Criminalistics and Criminology (NICC) operated a mobile drug testing laboratory on-site, registering 1,004 samples and screening 777 across both weekends. The three most analysed substances were MDMA, cocaine, and ketamine, with ketamine found in both XTC-like pills and nasal sprays. The lab identified tablets containing high doses of MDMA as well as potentially dangerous substances including “pink powders” and methamphetamine, which were forwarded to Sciensano, the Belgian public health institute, for monitoring.
As HLN reported, the NICC found that drug composition did not always match what users reported to police, suggesting many festival-goers may not know exactly what they are consuming.
Broader Security Results
Beyond drug enforcement, the operation yielded significant results across multiple fronts. Police arrested 14 pickpockets targeting luxury watches, handbags, and wallets — including seven men detained near the VIP area on a Friday evening specifically for targeting luxury watches. These suspects were placed under arrest warrants by the investigating judge.
In total, 51 people faced judicial arrest (primarily drug dealers and pickpockets), while 63 received administrative arrests for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct, bringing the overall arrest total to 114 across both weekends. Traffic enforcement resulted in 269 parking violations, 14 taxis seized for illegal passenger solicitation, 12 unauthorized drones confiscated, and 9 vehicles towed. The nationalities of arrested dealers during the second weekend reflected the festival’s international draw, including citizens from the United States, Australia, Norway, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Analysis and Implications
The enforcement figures highlight Belgium’s dual approach to drugs at large festivals: combining zero-tolerance policing with harm reduction through mobile chemical testing. While the NICC mobile lab can identify dangerous substances before they spread widely, it only tests drugs that have been seized, leaving risk for undetected substances circulating among attendees. Police Commissioner-General Eric Snoeck defined operational success simply: “When no incidents occur.”
As HLN detailed in its preview of this year’s security operation, the new command structure represents a significant evolution in Belgian festival security, with a dedicated intelligence cell gathering and analysing information for more data-driven policing.
What’s Next
The 32 arrested dealers will face the Tomorrowland thematic court session on 25 November 2026, where the Antwerp Public Prosecutor’s Office will handle cases through the dedicated session. For festival organizers and authorities, the broader question remains how to balance the open, celebratory atmosphere that defines Tomorrowland with the enforcement needed to keep attendees safe — a challenge that grows more complex as drug markets evolve and new dangerous substances emerge.