Cocaine

• Author: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EU body or agency), Europol (EU body or agency)
• Pages: 126-147

126

EU DRUG MARKETS REPORT

Key points

Europe’s growing cocaine problem

 Cocaine is the second most commonly consumed illicit

drug in the EU. e estimated minimum retail value of

the cocaine market was EUR9.1billion in 2017. Survey

estimates suggest that about 4 million adults in the EU

have used cocaine in the past year. Although cocaine

use is concentrated in western and southern Europe, use

elsewhere appears to be increasing.

 Seizures in the EU are at record levels, reaching 104 000

seizures amounting to 140 tonnes in 2017. In addition,

data indicate that cocaine seized at the wholesale level in

Europe is of high purity, often above 85 %, suggesting that

cocaine availability in Europe is currently high.

 Recent production estimates are similarly high. Coca

cultivation and cocaine production in the Andean region

have increased dramatically, the latter approaching

2000tonnes in 2017. Colombia accounts for the largest

share of this total. e knock-on impact of this has been

intensied tracking to Europe.

 A wider range of OCGs now appear to be involved in

the European cocaine market. Colombian and Italian

OCGs historically played acentral role in the production,

tracking and distribution of cocaine, but other groups are

becoming more signicant, including Albanian-speaking,

British, Dutch, French, Irish, Moroccan, Serbian, Spanish

and Turkish OCGs, resulting in increased competition.

 More European OCGs have now established apresence

in Latin American countries. is permits anew ‘end-

to-end’ business model for managing the supply chain,

allowing the purchase of large quantities of cocaine near to

production areas at lower costs. is could also be afactor

driving competition and conict within the cocaine market.

 Cocaine market-related corruption and violence

are agrowing problem within the EU. Historically, they

were most prominent outside European countries. Now

increased competition among OCGs appears to be driving

higher levels of violence within the EU as well as fuelling

corruption around some tracking hubs, particularly in

large European ports.

Expanding production and tracking

 e EU is apotential source of arange of precursors and

other chemicals for cocaine production. Attempts to divert

the main cocaine precursor, potassium permanganate,

from the EU have been observed recently and there have

also been signicant seizures in Europe of other chemicals

used in cocaine production, such as sodium metabisulte

and calcium chloride.

 Cocaine-manufacturing processes in South America are

becoming more ecient. Innovations in production allow

cocaine hydrochloride to be produced in larger amounts at

atime.

 e use of shipping containers for tracking means

that seizures of large quantities of cocaine at ports are

now common. For example, large seizures are reported at

the ports of Antwerp in Belgium and Algeciras in Spain,

and in vessels bound for Europe at foreign ports, usually

in Colombia and Brazil. Maritime containers continue to

be the main mode of transport used to smuggle cocaine

into Europe, and quantities per container appear to have

increased. However, other tracking methods remain

important.

CHAPTER 5

Cocaine

127

CHAPTER 5

I

Cocaine

 e global market for cocaine appears to be growing,

use is increasing in countries where previously it was

uncommon, including some large developing countries.

As a result, the EU appears to be increasingly used as

atransit area for cocaine destined for other markets such

as Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Turkey and countries in

the Middle East and Asia.

 North Africa appears to be emerging as amore

signicant transit and storage hub for air and maritime

shipments of cocaine destined for the EU and possibly

other markets.

 e Netherlands, Belgium and Spain are the main

entry points and distribution hubs for cocaine in the EU.

From these locations, cocaine is distributed to other parts

of Europe, mostly by road in lorries, although personal

vehicles and, increasingly, post and parcel services may be

used to move small consignments rapidly.

 Cocaine distribution at the local level in Europe is

generally conducted by domestic OCGs. In some countries,

Albanian-speaking, Moroccan and West African OCGs as

well as outlaw motorcycle gangs also play arole.

 Digital technologies, including darknet markets, social

media and mobile phone apps, are increasingly enabling

the retail cocaine market. Innovation in the supply chain at

the consumer level is suggestive of both high availability

and attempts by OCGs to increase market share.

Implications for action to address

current threats and increase

preparedness

In order to respond more eectively to developments in the

cocaine market there is aneed to take the following actions.

■Increase capacity to perform routine forensic proling

of cocaine seized at key points of entry in Europe, from

dismantled cocaine production sites, and in forms

requiring processing within the EU. It is also necessary

to strengthen capacity to report on existing indicators

on cocaine availability.

■Give greater priority to assessing and countering the

threat posed by changing OCG business models,

including European OCGs establishing apresence in

South American countries and non-European OCGs

becoming active within Europe. is requires greater

cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean

countries, including capacity building at key port

facilities; intelligence sharing within the EU and

with external partners; and investment in targeted

operations along the supply chain.

■Continue to invest in intelligence sharing and joint

maritime initiatives and operations in the Atlantic

Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

■Strengthen intelligence gathering and the collection of

data at large container ports to inform both operational

targeting and strategic planning. Measures are also

needed to strengthen capacity through the sharing of

best practice and delivery of specialised training.

■Recognise the growing importance of North Africa,

particularly Morocco, in cocaine tracking to Europe,

and the greater involvement of Moroccan OCGs in the

wholesale and distribution levels of the EU market.

is requires proactive engagement with partners in

the region and assessment of the implications for law

enforcement of the links between the cannabis and

cocaine markets.

■Support awareness raising and engagement

among stakeholders, including business, labour

representatives and local communities, to help counter

the corruption that is inherent in smuggling methods

used at ports and transportation hubs.

■Develop strategies to anticipate the displacement

of smuggling through secondary ports or smaller

airports. is requires targeted risk assessment and the

development of preventative measures scalable to the

potential vulnerabilities of dierent locations.

■Raise awareness and develop preventative approaches

to reducing the recruitment of vulnerable individuals in

the drug market, for example as drug couriers.

■Better understand and document the links between

the retail cocaine market, localised violence, gang

membership and young people’s recruitment into

crime, and share experiences of what measures may

reduce these problems.