At a production and shipping hub cocaine in other parts of the world Europe is becoming more and more transformed, in addition to being a large consumer market for this drug. This was reported today by European Union services, which also warned of the expanding methamphetamine industry.
After cannabis, cocaine is the most widely used drug in Europe, with millions of users and sales of around € 10.5 billion by 2020, according to a joint report by the EU’s Europol enforcement agency and the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Control. and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) presented today in Brussels.
The European market is growing, boosted by greater production in Latin America and also by the expansion of crude processing capacity. drug in Europe itself. It could be further enhanced by the development of new types of cocaine-smoked products, the report said, warning of increased health risks.
“More production is also taking place now within Europe, indicating changes in the region’s role in international cocaine trade,” the report said.
Belgium is the center of industry
Belgium seems to be at the center of the cocaine industry in Europeaccording to data collected by EU services. It is the EU country that seized the largest quantities of cocaine in 2020, the last year for which data are available, as in Belgium a total of 70 tonnes were seized mainly in the port of Antwerp, against 49 tonnes in the Netherlands, the second European country in foreclosures.
Belgium is also a leader in cocaine paste processing, along with the Netherlands and Spain. according to the report, which cites evidence of seizures of large quantities of chemical precursors for cocaine production and information on processing facilities.
Cocaine imported into Europe from South America is increasingly being exported to other parts of the world, mainly to the Middle East and Asia, making Europe “a key transit point for drugs coming from elsewhere,” the report said.
The European methamphetamine market is also growing, but remains much smaller than that for cocaine, according to the report, which notes that it is difficult to estimate its exact size.
Synthetic stimulants are traditionally produced mainly in the Czech Republic and consumed in Eastern Europe, but new data show that demand is growing in Western Europe, especially in Belgium, which has become a major producer of the drug.
“There is now a growing concern about production facilities located in Belgium and the Netherlands, where methamphetamine can be produced on a significantly larger scale,” the report said.
Europe is one of the world leaders in methamphetamine production, and European producers are now increasingly cooperating with Mexican criminal gangs to improve production processes, EU agencies have warned.
Source: News Beast
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