Houdeng, helping yourself to enemy warehouses

Houdeng-Goegnies: a Customs shed burnt down and weapons stolen
RTBF/RTL (Belgium), December 18, 2023

The Houdeng (La Louvière) customs warehouse on the Garocentre site was the target of a fire on Sunday morning. The Mons public prosecutor’s office confirmed on Monday the criminal origin of the building fire, as reported in the local press, as well as a burglary.

The perpetrators entered through a wire fence. They then broke open the sliding door. The hangar was set on fire. Several customs vehicles inside were found burnt out. Weapons, in particular, were also stolen, added the public prosecutor. It remains to be seen whether these weapons were the result of seizures or were customs property.

For the firefighters called out at around 6:30 a.m., the operation proved complex, as they did not know the exact contents of the shed. According to our information, the hangar’s alarm system had not been triggered.

In early November, a theft had already been committed in a customs building in Antwerp. Contacted by us, the Minister of Finance (in charge of customs) Vincent Van Peteghem is taking the matter seriously. He says he is awaiting the results of the current investigation before deciding on new measures.