The EU retail drug market is estimated to be worth more than EUR 30 billion annually, making it a major source of income for organised crime. Europe occupies a central position in drug supply and trafficking, as evidenced by the large-scale production of cannabis and synthetic drugs within the EU and the huge volumes of cocaine arriving from Latin America.
Commenting on organised crime groups, Europol remarked that:
“Criminal networks operating in the EU drug market are highly adaptable, innovative and resilient to global crises, instability and significant political and economic changes. Recent examples of such shocks include the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan. In response, criminal networks have adapted, changing trafficking routes and diversifying their methods.”
Criminal networks leverage digital advances and technological opportunities to conceal illicit communication, improve drug distribution models and reduce risk. An example of this is the recent rise in the use of social media and instant messaging applications for the retail sale of drugs, making a wide range of substances more accessible.
Europol’s Executive Director stated:
“Criminal networks infect the very core of our communities, weaving through the fabric of our democracy and economy. They erode trust, fuel violence, and create cycles of addiction and poverty. A vigilant, unified response is needed to safeguard our citizens and society from the omnipresent influence of this invisible enemy. Using Europol, EU Member States can pool resources, exchange criminal intelligence, and coordinate actions to tackle the illegal distribution of drugs.”
“The market for illicit drugs, controlled by criminal networks, represents a serious security threat to the European Union. It endangers public health and safety while fostering extreme violence and corruption, undermining the very fabric of society, democracy and the rule of law.”
Actions to counter drug crime
International law enforcement has had some recent success in disrupting major criminal drug markets, not least by taking down the EncroChat platform.
Europol is now urging its international partners to take further measures to strengthen law enforcement. These include:
- strengthening the systematic monitoring and analysis of the EU drug market by making further use of advanced methods and technologies, such as artificial intelligence and satellite imagery analysis.
- enhanced detection and monitoring of particularly harmful substances with significant negative implications for public health, such as synthetic opioids and new psychoactive substances.
- improving threat assessments across the drugs supply chain, including a focus on how developments outside Europe may impact on the EU drug market.
- better monitoring and analysis of drug market-related violence, using comparable indicators and tools, with the aim of developing a deeper understanding of its causes. In conjunction, prioritising the mapping of criminal networks that pose the highest threat.
- enhanced monitoring and analysis of the use of online platforms to trade and distribute drugs with particular attention to developments on the surface web and social media platforms (especially in relation to their use by young people).
- developing new frameworks to analyse the potential impact of legislative changes on illicit drug markets.
- improving operational responses against criminal networks, particularly against high-risk criminal networks and high-value targets. The latter include the brokers and facilitators that enable illicit activities, such as money-laundering networks.
- further prioritising operational activities that dismantle entire criminal networks and their associates. This will involve making better use of relevant European tools for operational coordination and international cooperation (specifically operational task forces and joint investigation teams).
- strengthening responses to the trafficking and diversion of precursors and essential chemicals used in drug production.
- improving strategies to prevent criminal networks from exploiting weaknesses of current control measures and to reduce the supply of precursors.
- strengthening administrative barriers to prevent criminals from exploiting legal loopholes and the licit economy (including improving measures to tackle corruption).
- improving interdiction capacity at seaports, post and parcel hubs in Europe (for example, by implementing advanced monitoring technologies and tools).
- prioritising crime prevention policies focused on young people at risk of exploitation and recruitment by criminal networks.
- improving engagement and cooperation with international organisations and third countries to tackle criminal networks particularly with key hubs for drug flows destined for the EU.
- improving the implementation of European regulations and international agreements aimed at harmonising legal frameworks to disrupt the drugs trade, specifically frameworks for extraditing and prosecuting those operating outside the EU.
- strengthening public-private partnerships to prevent the exploitation of licit business structures and international trade routes. This includes prioritising improved resilience against criminal activity in key logistics hubs.
How can we help?
We make sure we stay up to date with any changes in legislation and case law so that we can give our clients the best possible advice. If you would like to discuss any aspect of your case, please contact Tarsem Salhan on 0121 605 6000 or at tsalhan@salhan.co.uk.
