2024-07-07 04:30:13
Alexis Goosdeel, in Lisbon in 2022.
Alexis Goosdeel is director of the European Medicines Agency (EUDA), the new name for the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction. Since July 2, the Lisbon-based institution’s skills and resources have been increased to cope with an increasingly large and complex phenomenon. Belgian officials analyze the latest developments in trafficking and the wave of violence it triggers.
What are the latest trends in drug trafficking in the European Union (EU)?
Drugs are everywhere and have never been easier to obtain. The traditional distinction between hard or soft drugs of plant or synthetic origin, illicit or illicit drugs, is no longer sufficient to describe the range of products in circulation. There are some substances on the market today that no one would consider humans to consume or become dependent on, but that is what they are.
Where does the European circulation mainly come from?
Cocaine comes from Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Heroin from Afghanistan, via the “Balkan route” and increasingly also The “Southern Route” starts from the coast of Iran and Pakistan and transits through East and Southern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, especially the United Arab Emirates. Herbal cannabis is primarily produced in Europe, but we are seeing an increase in trafficking from North America, including Canada. Cannabis comes primarily from Morocco, but production within Europe appears to be increasing. Trafficking in high-THC extracts and semi-synthetic substances from North America is also increasing. Amphetamine is mainly produced in the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland, and methamphetamine is mainly produced in the Netherlands, Belgium, Czech Republic and Slovakia. Ecstasy comes from the Netherlands, Belgium, and a large laboratory has just been discovered in Spain. To date, approximately 950 new synthetic products have been discovered on the European pharmaceutical market, many of which are synthetic cathinones and cannabinoids. They come mainly from China and more recently from India. In recent years, the production of synthetic cathinones has also been discovered in Poland and the Netherlands.
The United Arab Emirates is a haven for European traffickers, who make their fortunes there. The example of Türkiye is also often cited. What can Europe do?
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