The scale of cocaine smuggling to Europe is growing, and the volumes reflect the record growth in global cocaine production. This was stated by a representative of the European police agency Europol to the dpa news agency, UNN reports with reference to Deutsche Welle.
Details
According to Europol, illegal drugs worth 31 billion euros are sold annually in the EU. Cocaine with a turnover of 11.6 billion euros is second only to cannabis (12 billion euros).
According to a Europol spokesperson, almost 70% of cocaine is shipped to Europe through the ports of Antwerp in Belgium and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Last year, more than 300 tons of cocaine were confiscated in European ports, and in the port of Antwerp alone, police seized 121 tons of cocaine - almost 10% more than in 2022. About 60 tons were confiscated in the Netherlands. At the same time, criminal groups are increasingly trying to gain a foothold in smaller ports to avoid government control.
Single drug consignments are also getting bigger. The largest cocaine shipment to date, weighing 8 tons and worth €600 million, was found in a banana container in Rotterdam in 2023.
Recall
Drug trafficking from Europe is exposed in Ukraine: drug traffickers disguised cocaine, ecstasy and hashish as cosmetics, earning over a million hryvnias in monthly income until law enforcement stopped their activities. Seven of the detainees have been notified of being suspected.
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