Belgium plays an important role in European cocaine and speed production | Domestic

The value of the drugs market in the EU is estimated to be at least EUR 31 billion. Cannabis remains the most lucrative drug with an annual revenue of 12.1 billion euros, followed by cocaine (11.6 billion). This is followed by heroin (5.2 billion), amphetamines (1.6 billion) and ecstasy/MDMA (0.6 billion).

The report shows that cocaine is on the rise in Europe, mainly driven by the wide availability of cheap and high-purity coke. Criminal gangs are also increasingly shifting cocaine production from Latin America to Europe. “This increases the risk that new smokable cocaine products, such as crack, will become more widely known in European consumer markets,” Europol and EMCDDA warn.

Since 2017, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain have seen the largest quantities of cocaine seized, underscoring their importance as gateways for cocaine. Last year, a record amount of 116 tons of cocaine was intercepted in the port of Antwerp. The cocaine trade mainly benefits European seaports, but there is also corruption and intimidation of port workers who make the illegal trade possible.

Our country plays an important role not only in the field of cocaine. Belgium and the Netherlands are the two largest production centers of amphetamines, i.e. speed. Striking: the environmental effects of amphetamine production are significant, as large amounts of chemical waste are released.

Europol and the EMCDDA further underline that the European drug market is becoming increasingly diverse, complex and violent. Criminal networks are also very resourceful in finding new ways to escape controls. The organizations therefore argue for better cooperation between European countries to combat drug crime.

READ ALSO. Flakka inspires 51-year-old man to commit bizarre burglaries: “When I gave him a banana, he left again” (+)