Crime Gangs Exploit EU Ports to Smuggle Record Drug Loads

A joint EUDA–WCO report highlights escalating drug trafficking through EU ports from 2019–2024, with 1,826 tonnes seized (1,244 tonnes within ports), concentrated in Antwerp and Rotterdam. Cocaine dominated (1,487 tonnes; average 533 kg per seizure), followed by cannabis resin (260 tonnes; average 1.2 tonnes), while Captagon totaled 21.7 tonnes with a notable 14.2-tonne seizure in Salerno in 2020 and no subsequent port seizures reported. The findings indicate significant organized criminal penetration and likely corruption among some port staff, and suggest shifts in modus operandi and transit routes, particularly for Captagon likely destined for the Arabian Peninsula.