Europe is becoming a hub for global cocaine trafficking, says EU


by Francesco Guarascio

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Europe, already one of the biggest markets for cocaine use, is becoming a hub for the production and export of the drug to other parts of the world , warned several European Union agencies on Friday, which also warn against the rise of methamphetamine.

Cocaine is the most widely used drug in Europe after cannabis with several million users and an estimated turnover of around 10.5 billion euros in 2020, according to a report published by Europol and the EMCDDA, l EU anti-drugs agency.

The growth of the European market is favored by the increase in production in South America but also by the development of production facilities in Europe itself. And it could grow even faster with the development of new forms of smoking cocaine.

Belgium seems to be the main pole of this market in Europe according to data compiled by EU agencies: it is the country which seized the largest quantities of cocaine in 2020, i.e. 70 tons, mainly at the port of Antwerp, compared to 49 tonnes in the Netherlands, 37 tonnes in Spain, 13.4 tonnes in Italy and 13.1 tonnes in France.

Belgium is also, with the Netherlands and Spain, one of the leading countries for the processing of coca paste, adds the report, which mentions significant seizures of chemicals used for the production of cocaine.

Cocaine imported into Europe from South America is also increasingly being re-exported to other parts of the world, including the Middle East and Asia, the report continues.

The European methamphetamine market continues to grow but remains smaller than that of cocaine, the document also explains, although it acknowledges that its exact size is difficult to assess.

Methamphetamine has historically been produced mainly in the Czech Republic and consumed in Eastern Europe, but new data show an increase in demand in Western Europe, particularly in Belgium, which has become a major producer.

European methamphetamine producers are increasingly allying themselves with Mexican criminal organizations to improve production processes, EU agencies say.

(Report Francesco Guarascio, French version Marc Angrand, edited by Kate Entringer)



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