Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Cocaine smuggling into Europe, mainly through Antwerp and Rotterdam ports, continues to rise despite law enforcement efforts, with record seizures highlighting escalating violence and criminal activity in Belgium and the EU.
Why Are Antwerp and Rotterdam Preferred Entry Points for Cocaine?
The Port of Antwerp has long been the desired point of entry for criminal associations smuggling cocaine into Europe, followed by the main ports of Rotterdam and Hamburg. As officers have attempted to crack down on this business, drug gangs have discovered ever more ingenious methods to smuggle it in. However, these steps, and others such as partnerships with source countries, have not borne fruit fast enough, the European law enforcement agency Europol verified.Â
According to Europol’s studies, cocaine smuggling into Europe is persisting to increase. Over 70% of cocaine entering Europe is hauled through the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam. More than €31 billion worth of illegal drugs are trafficked in the EU every year. Cannabis is always the number one narcotic with almost €12 billion worth being trafficked, closely heeded by cocaine with roughly €11.6 billion.
How Much Cocaine Is Seized Annually in European Ports?
The record level of global cocaine production is also echoed in the huge amounts currently grabbed in Europe: last year, more than 300 tonnes of cocaine were confiscated at European ports. In Antwerp alone (Port of Antwerp and Zeebrugge merged), investigators captured a record 121 tonnes of drugs in 2023, nearly 10% more than the prior year. However, outbreaks likely represent just 10-20% of the total amount of the narcotic in circulation.
Europol’s studies also show that individual quantities are growing. Last year, for example, the largest individual quantity to date was captured in Rotterdam: nearly 8,000 kilos of cocaine, worth around €600 million, was discovered in a container of bananas.
Why Is Cocaine Trafficking Linked to Increasing Violence?
Europol highlighted that violence around the trafficking of cocaine is also at its peak. “The huge gains from cocaine smuggling have drawn many criminal networks in the EU,” the spokesperson stated. “The competition is increasingly ushering to violent conflicts.” She added that Europol has registered more murders, shootings, spells with explosives, kidnappings and arsons.
This sort of crime is also appearing more in Belgium. In Antwerp, organised crime parties attempted to take back their captured loads, putting port staff at risk. Both in the Flemish port city and in Brussels, drug brutality has surged, with turf battles thought to be behind many of the contemporary shootings in both cities, adding to locals’ feelings of insecurity. However, Europol did mention that the rising number of seizures suggests investigators are gaining more and more understanding of how gangs operate. The basis for this included breaking criminal digital communication networks such as Encrochat.
