The EU has a new anti-drug plan

A senior shipping industry executive is warning that drug trafficking gangs have infiltrated shipping supply chains to an “extreme” extent.

European authorities have had a busy few years, with annual drug seizures consistently breaking new records. But criminal organisations often stay a step ahead:

• They’ve expanded to smaller ports to avoid detection
• They’ve streamlined their operations, and
• They’ve boosted drug production locally.

So what’s Europe doing? In its latest ‘roadmap’, Brussels introduces the European Ports Alliance, an EU-wide scheme focussed on:

1. Customs – authorities now inspect less than 10% of all cargo
2. Policing – there’s not enough police-customs coordination, and
3. Companies – there’s not enough coordination between shipping firms and law enforcement, either.

Intrigue’s take: Most drugs entering Europe essentially hitch a ride on commercial cargo ships, which means any policy aimed at illicit trade will end up impacting lawful trade too.

So that’s really what this latest plan is about: it’s not realistic to inspect every container; better targeting is key, and that means better coordination.

Also worth noting:

• The port of Antwerp, Europe’s key cocaine trafficking hub, is aiming to inspect all “high-risk” cargo by 2028.