Cocaine more easily available in Europe as gangs adopt new strategies

BRUSSELS • Coronavirus is making it harder to prevent drug smuggling into Europe with cocaine more easily available than ever, the European Union narcotics agency warned Tuesday.

Gangsters have adapted to dealing with the pandemic and have infiltrated legitimate supply chains, shipping routes and large ports, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction's annual report said.

There have been record seizures of cocaine, as well as large seizures of heroin and cannabis resin.

“There are fears that innovative drug distribution models developed during lockdown, along with the economic impact of the pandemic on vulnerable communities, will add to the challenges already posed by an abundant supply of drugs,” the agency said.

Coronavirus restrictions hit street dealing but users and dealers turned to online “dark net” markets, social media and home delivery.

Trafficking by ship “continued at pre-pandemic levels,” the report said, but smuggling by plane declined.

During the pandemic there were signs of declining interest in substances like

MDMA (a.k.a. ecstasy) “that are commonly used in social settings”.

But there were reports of a greater use of more novel substances such as the psychoactive drug benzodiazepines, “possibly driven in part by shortages of more established drugs”.