Teun Voeten Books

Antwerp has become one of the major ports of entry from cocaine smuggled from Latin America. However, most of the drugs proceed to the Netherlands, that is home to the big drug syndicates that organize these shipments. In his book, Voeten traces the history of drugs in the Netherlands that thanks to an obsessive liberal climate, a capitalist spirit, an arrogant self-righteousness attitude and a blind eye for the emergence of an underground drug industry, has become a narco state light.

As an anthropologist, Voeten talks with the major protagonists in the drugs industry: dealers and consumers. He describes the tactics and modus operandi of middleman who recuperate the cocaine from containers in the port. In the prison of Antwerp, he finds many small dealers who tell in intimate conversations their story. In most cases, not social exclusion but greed, peer pressure and easy money are the driving forces why young people enter the drug trade.

He also talks with many consumers and concludes that drugs are not an innocent pastime, but cause great social, psychological and physical harm, especially amongst a vulnerable underclass. Voeten also discusses the delicate subject why, especially at the lower and midlevel, the Moroccan community is overrepresented and in how far cultural and subcultural elements play are pivotal.

Finally, Voeten analyses the undermining effects the drug trade has on all facets of society. The book starts with an introduction from the Mayor of Antwerp, Bart de Wever, and ends with a long list of policy recommendations.