Drug fines up 268 per cent in Mariemont police zone in 2026
254 immediate transactions related to narcotics were imposed over six months in the Mariemont zone, compared with 69 over the same period in 2025.
Explosion of immediate drug fines at Mariemont in first half of 2026
The Mariemont police zone recorded 254 immediate transactions for offences related to narcotics between 1 January and 30 June 2026, a 268 per cent increase compared with the same period of the previous year, according to DHnet. In the first six months of 2025, only 69 procedures of this type had been applied.
This mechanism, deployed by field teams since May 2023, targets ostentatious consumption or possession of small quantities of narcotics in public places. It is reserved for adult offenders and can only be proposed in the absence of evidence suggesting trafficking. Drug sales and possession of quantities exceeding legal thresholds are therefore excluded.
In practice, the officer can propose to the offender the immediate payment of a sum between 75 and 300 euros, depending on the substance and quantity held. Police officers have payment terminals, but payment by QR code or bank transfer is also possible.
Payment closes the criminal proceedings, thus avoiding the offender facing legal prosecution. The offender can, however, refuse the transaction, in which case criminal proceedings follow their course and the case may be referred to the magistrates' court.
For the police zone, this system offers an immediate response to the offence whilst alleviating the administrative burden on officers and reducing the number of files sent to prosecutors. The total amount of transactions reached 21,075 euros in the first half of 2026, compared with 5,675 euros over the same period in 2025.
The increase also concerns quantities seized. Between January and June 2026, police officers confiscated 2,562.08 grammes of narcotics as part of these procedures, compared with 154.93 grammes in the first half of 2025.
Cannabis — including herb, resin and seeds — represents 88 per cent of the products seized. Cocaine comes in second place, followed by nitrous oxide and amphetamines.
The breakdown by municipality shows that Morlanwelz leads with 91 transactions in the first half, ahead of Manage (86), Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont (62) and Seneffe (15). In each of these municipalities, the number of procedures recorded over six months already exceeds the total for the whole of 2025.
Source: DHnet