Europe slowly turning into a hub for cocaine and methamphetamine, says EU report
Europe is turning into a hub for cocaine, EU report says
European Union agencies said on Friday that the continent is slowly becoming a prime location for the production and distribution of cocaine. According to Reuters, the EU agencies expressed concern about the current situation and also warned about the expanding methamphetamine industry.
A joint EU report by law enforcement agency Europol and drugs agency EMCDDA pointed out that cocaine was the second most consumed drug in Europe after cannabis and the total income from the production and distribution of the drug amounted to almost $11.1 billion for the year 2020.
"More production is also now taking place inside Europe, indicating changes in the region's role in the international cocaine trade," the report said.
Over the years, South American countries were the main suppliers of cocaine for Europe and with countries like Colombia and Brazil increasing their production, the amount of cocaine in Europe has also gone up. As a result, the report warns of higher health risks in the near future.
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When it comes to individual countries, Belgium was pointed out as the leading producer of cocaine by the EU report. In 2020, the most amount of cocaine was seized from Belgium,and it is supposed to be the leading processing centre for cocaine along with Spain and Netherlands.
According to the Reuters report, the market for methamphetamine is also slowly growing in Europe with growing demands in Czech Republic and some Eastern European countries.
"There is now growing concern about production facilities located in Belgium and the Netherlands, where methamphetamine can be produced on a considerably larger scale," the report said.