Europol: "Europe Has Become a Hub for Drug Trafficking"... Seizures Increased by 10%

Drugs. This photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Europe has emerged as a hub for drug trafficking, including cocaine, according to a report by DPA news agency on the 1st (local time).

According to the report, Europol, the European Union (EU) police agency, seized at least 240 tons of cocaine last year, which is 26 tons more than the 214 tons seized in 2020, an increase of over 10%. The trend in drug trafficking is measured by the amount of drugs seized.

Cocaine is the most widely consumed drug in Europe. According to a joint report by Europol and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), at least millions of people purchased cocaine worth approximately 10.5 billion euros (about 14.029 trillion KRW) in 2020.

Jan Off Gen Oort, Europol spokesperson, stated, "Increasing amounts of cocaine are moving from South America to Europe," noting that 2,000 tons of drugs are produced annually in Colombia alone, with 60% of that entering Europe.

Spokesperson Oort further explained that the ports of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain are key points for drug smuggling. In particular, Belgium has emerged as a core country in drug trafficking, with a total of 70 tons of drugs seized at the Port of Antwerp in 2020.

Europe's emergence as a 'hub' for drug trafficking is due not only to increased drug production centered in South America but also to the development of Europe's own drug processing technology. The processing work, which used to be carried out in Latin American countries such as Colombia and Bolivia, has recently shifted to Europe.

Europol expanded its crackdown efforts by conducting the largest-ever operation against drug organizations across Europe in 2019, arresting over 20 people, but it reports that drugs coming from South America still evade surveillance networks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.