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:

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:

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