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Latest analysis of cocaine market highlights 'secondary extraction' laboratories in Europe
Europe has become an important destination for cocaine manufactured in South America
Sophisticated techniques to conceal and smuggle cocaine into Europe are reviewed in a new EMCDDA–Europol market analysis Cocaine: A European Union perspective in the global context (1). Published in April, the review examines how cocaine is produced and trafficked into the EU, and provides insight into the people involved, routes taken and the scale of the problem in Europe. Also described are some of the supply reduction initiatives already developed at European level.
One innovative technique highlighted in the report involves incorporating cocaine base or hydrochloride (HCI) into other materials (e.g. beeswax, plastic, clothing), then extracting it in special laboratories set up inside EU borders. Around 40 of these cocaine so-called ‘secondary extraction’ laboratories were seized in the EU in 2008, says the report. These differ from laboratories found in South America which manufacture cocaine base or HCI from coca leaves or coca paste.
Europe has become an important destination for cocaine manufactured in South America. In 2007, an estimated 73 800 seizures in EU Member States, Croatia, Turkey and Norway resulted in the interception of almost 77 tonnes of cocaine. With these figures, Europe ranked third in the world for the amount of cocaine confiscated, after South and North America.
With a significant proportion of the global cocaine output now destined for Europe, new cross-Atlantic trafficking routes have emerged. The report describes the three main Europe-bound cocaine smuggling routes (Northern, Central, West African). It also shows how law enforcement data point to shifting landing points within Europe’s main gateway regions — the Iberian Peninsula and the Low Countries (Belgium, the Netherlands) — as well as to the spread of trafficking networks eastwards. According to the report, this increases the risk of cocaine use diffusing into central and eastern European countries which, to date, have been comparatively little affected.
In 2007, worldwide seizures of illicit shipments of potassium permanganate — the chemical precursor used in the manufacture of cocaine — reached a total of 153 tonnes (101 tonnes in 2006). Colombia accounted for 94 % of the 2007 seizures (144 tonnes). The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) monitors the international trade in (and diversion of) this chemical, with South America being subject to special scrutiny. With close examination at home, illicit potassium permanganate importers from South America may now be using Africa as a transit territory, says the report. It is also likely that countries of West Africa are being used to carry out the final stages of the cocaine manufacturing process, transforming the base to cocaine HCI.
Most of the cocaine available in the world today is produced from coca grown in Colombia, where the plant contributes significantly to the local economy. Various measures to prevent coca cultivation and offer alternative livelihoods to the growers have been developed and supported by the EU and its Member States. However, the concentration of land ownership along with the ongoing armed conflict make effective and long-term action difficult. While underlining the need to boost cocaine interception efforts, the report also presents arguments for complementary initiatives to address the underlying causes that encourage cocaine production and trafficking.
Laurent Laniel
(1) The report is available in English and Spanish.
In this issue...
- Record number of new drugs in 2009
- EMCDDA and Europol Directors review new drugs entering market
- EMCDDA and ECDC assess anthrax outbreak among heroin users
- Global audit of HIV services for IDUs reveals low levels of provision
- Sharing information on drug treatment demand in the Mediterranean
- Drug use and pregnancy: challenges for public health
- Enhancing the quality and effectiveness of services for drug users
- Experts debate drug policy
- Latest analysis of cocaine market highlights 'secondary extraction' laboratories in Europe
- EMCDDA active at annual CND meeting
- New pact against drug trafficking
- Reitox Academy focuses on national treatment guidelines
- Topic overview on threshold quantities for drug offences
- Forging ties with North-African neighbours
- Joint report on mephedrone presents case for formal risk assessment
Drugnet Europe is also available in downloadable PDF format, for printing or offline browsing.
Drugnet Europe is the EMCDDA's newsletter launched in September 1996. The newsletter provides regular and succint information on the Centre's projects and activities to a broad readership.
Page last updated: Thursday, 03 June 2010