Drug Gangs Storm Brussels Pizzeria, 3 Shootings In 3 Days

Bullet impacts on a Brussels pizzeria floor after a shooting
The hitman’s bullet impacts scar the terrace of Salvatore’s pizzeria in Brussels after the latest gang shooting.

Last Monday night, drug gangs turned Salvatore’s pizzeria on St. Gilles Square into a crime scene. He says, “I dropped to the floor. Clients were on the terrace with children. We can see the bullet impacts everywhere.”

The restaurant sits close to the international Midi train station, which sees arrivals from London and Paris— a crossroads for smugglers. Over 100 gang‑related shootings hit Brussels in 2025, and 65 incidents have already been recorded this year.

This was the third shooting in the neighbourhood in just three days. Salvatore laments, “Are we in an American gangster movie? This needs to stop.”

Local elder Murielle, 70, says the street once felt like a safe village. “Even the drug dealers used to be polite and decent. I would just tell them to go further away and they'd say, ‘Yes, ok mama!’,” she says. She continues to wait in the exact spot, noting “the trace of the pool of blood.”

The rise of drug‑related violence in Brussels mirrors that of Marseille. A police source states a successful drag point can net up to €50,000 ($58,000) per day. Over 200 such points exist across the city, and cocaine trafficking flows through the nearby port of Antwerp, where record seizures have been logged.

Police chief Jurgen de Landsheer says gangs are now adopting methods seen in Marseille, but Brussels has not reached that level yet. The police station in St. Gilles came under attack last weekend, when two men on a scooter fired at the door with an AK‑47.

De Landsheer emphasizes the need for prevention over repression: “There is no magic solution. We need prevention over repression. We can be present in the street, but our society also needs to give a future to the young people.”

In response, the Interior Minister announced the deployment of 40 extra officers to the problem area on Thursday. Residents, including Salvatore and Murielle, hope for a return to peace and feel the violent climate is eroding property values and safety.