IT'S the diamond capital of Europe and the second city of Belgium, but Antwerp is also on par with Rotterdam as the largest entry point for cocaine into the continent.

Last year, 110 tonnes of the powder was seized at the city's sprawling port, where authorities are coming under increasing pressure to do more to take on the drug gangs.

However, it's not as simple as beefing up police numbers and investing in new detection equipment. Antwerp is a unique city where smuggling and money laundering are deeply imbedded in its history and culture.

Nicola Tallant meets with journalist Joris van der Aa, a colleague from Gazet van Antwerpen, who has spent decades on the crime beat in Belgium. The pair discuss diamonds, drugs and dodgy deals, as they travel the city and visit its enormous port.

Crime World, with Nicola Tallant, is a weekly Iri…