The president of the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), Holger Munich, warned of spreading hard drugs in Germany. There is a “cocaine flood on the drug market,” said Münch. An increase can also be seen in Austria.
Cocaine spreads “very strong in Germany” because the market in North America is saturated and drug trafficking “more focuses on Europe”.
The amount of internationally smuggled cocaine has increased considerably in recent years and researchers repeatedly record deliveries with drug quantities of several hundred to a few thousand kilograms, especially in seaports such as Hamburg. So applied interior agents in the ports with access to internal systems are considered important helpers. It was only two former port employees in Hamburg in April were sentenced to long -term prison cities for cocaine trade.
In 2023, German researchers managed the biggest blow to the cocaine trade in the Federal Republic. In the course of an extensive investigation, police officers gathered a total of 35.5 tons in the sales value of the street of around 2.6 billion euros. Around 24.5 tons of cocaine were found alone in sea freight containers in the port of Hamburg.
Record quantities in 2023
The total amount of cocaine in 2023 seized in Germany was a record amount of 43 tons. That was more than twice as much as in the previous year. In 2023, the German security authorities registered a total of 55,532 cases of addictive trade, including 6421 cocaine trade. According to the BKA, consumption and trade with cocaine has increased by more than 27 percent.
In Austria, the amount of cocaine has grown from around 80.5 kilograms in 2021 to around 119 kilos in 2022 and eventually almost 155 kilos in 2023, it comes from the 2023 addictive report of the local federal penalty office (BK). “Regarding the increase in cocaine, more and more have been recognized throughout Europe in recent years,” the analysis has already been said. Only recently, in March, the researchers gave the pick-up 78 kilograms of cocaine, packed in three sports bags, known in Vienna-Sudering, “one of the greatest cocaine safety in Vienna in Wienna in recent years”, as was said then.
Drugs mainly come from South America
South America is the most important production area for cocaine, which in large quantities mainly reaches illegally global black markets in large quantities. European ports such as Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Antwerp in Belgium and Hamburg are considered a gate.
Security authorities in South America and Europe try to take on increased cooperation and more controls against trade. At the beginning of 2024, various EU countries founded a European alliance against the increasing cocaine smuggling over their ports.
Changes in the HeroNemarkt
Munich also referred to dangers due to changes in the heroin market, “because the Taliban prevented the cultivation of opium in Afghanistan”. As a result, a shortage of “and therefore the risk of mixing with synthetic opioids and a considerably higher risk for consumers”. Munich referred to the Opioid Fentanyl and the dead, which had to be complained about in the US.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
