Illegal Drugs & Smuggling
The transport of illegal drugs through European ports and the measures taken by port authorities, national governments and international organisations to counter the efforts of smugglers. This includes news about the European Union and Europol, and illegal drug discoveries in docked ships and ports.
Over 217 kg of pure cocaine seized in the port of Livorno
Livorno, Italy (Ports Europe) January 21, 2025 – Over 217 kg of pure cocaine, divided into almost 200 blocks, was seized in the port of Livorno during an...
Cannabis valued at nearly €270,000 seized at Rosslare Europort
Rosslare, Ireland (Ports Europe) January 20, 2025 – A man has been taken into custody after cannabis valued at nearly €270,000 was seized at Rosslare...
110 kilos of pure cocaine seized in the port of Gioia Tauro
Gioia Tauro, Italy (Ports Europe) January 15, 2025 – The police and officials of the Customs and Monopolies Agency have seized 110 kilos of pure cocaine...
“Historic milestone”: 47 tons of cocaine were seized in France in 2024
Paris, France (Ports Europe) January 15, 2025 – “Historic milestone”: 47 tons of cocaine were seized in France in 2024, announced the...
1420 kg of suspected cocaine seized in Panama
Quito, Ecuador (Ports Europe) January 15, 2025 – In an operation coordinated by SEACOP’s GRES-Ports initiative, the navies of Ecuador and Peru, along...
24 kg of cocaine found in Vado Ligure
Genoa, Italy (Ports Europe) January 15, 2025 – It has been announced today that at the end of 2024, 24 kg of cocaine was found in the Port of Vado...
Port of Piraeus reports 2024 drug seizures
Piraeus, Greece (Ports Europe) January 10, 2025 – The Port of Piraeus is one of the leading container ports in the Mediterranean with an annual...
Contraband cigarettes seized in Piraeus Container Terminal
Piraeus, Greece (Ports Europe) January 10, 2025 – Yesterday, officers from the Directorate of Narcotics & Smuggling Enforcement of the Hellenic Coast...
466 kg of cocaine seized at Rotterdam port
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Ports Europe) January 10, 2025 – In the past two weeks, customs authorities have made eight seizures of cocaine totalling 466 kg at...
About 1.2 tonnes of cocaine seized in port of Vigo
Vigo, Spain (Ports Europe) January 10, 2025 – Some 1,200 kg of cocaine were discovered in a container that arrived from Ecuador earlier this week in the...
Two-third less cocaine seized in Antwerp port in 2024
Antwerp, Belgium (Ports Europe) January 9, 2025 – Almost two-thirds less cocaine was seized at Belgium’s port of Antwerp in 2024 compared to 2023, the...
1,120 kilos of cocaine seized in container at the Port of Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain (Ports Europe) January 8, 2025 – The Civil Guard and the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency have seized 1,120 kilos of...
Two tonnes of cocaine seized at Le Havre port
Le Havre, France (Ports Europe) January 4, 2025 – More than two tonnes of cocaine were seized at the French port of Le Havre on December 30 and two men...
153 kg of cocaine seized in Germany’s Wilhelmshaven port
Wilhelmshaven, Germany (Ports Europe) January 4, 2025 – Some 153 kg of cocaine were discovered aboard a freighter arriving from Colombia at Germany’s...
546 kg of cocaine bound for Spain seized in Guayaquil port, Eduador
Guayaquil, Ecuador (Ports Europe) December 31, 2024 – Some 546 kg of cocaine were seized in Ecuador’s port of Guayaquil before being shipped to Spain in a...
Three drug busts in Spain in a week – 6.3 tonnes of hashish, 7.5 tonnes cocaine
Madrid, Spain (Ports Europe) December 30, 2024 – Two major drug busts were made by the Spanish authorities in the past five days, totalling 6.3 tonnes of...
3.5 tonnes of cocaine seized in Portugal’s Setubal port
Setubal, Portugal (Ports Europe) December 30, 2024 – Around 3.5 tonnes of cocaine that arrived in Portugal from Latin America hidden in pallets of banana...
7 tonnes of cocaine delivered by speedboats seized in Spain
Seville, Spain (Ports Europe) December 30, 2024 – Seven tonnes of cocaine stashed in sea freight containers buried under a farm were seized by Spain’s...
300 kg of cocaine seized in Malta Freeport
Birżebbuġa, Malta (Ports Europe) December 30, 2024 – Around 300 kg of cocaine was seized in Malta’s Mediterranean Sea port of Freeport a week ago. The...
Washington Post: 70% of Europe’s cocaine comes in container ships from Latin America
Washington, United States (Ports Europe) December 29, 2024 – Cultivation of coca crops in Colombia, the origin of most of the world’s cocaine, has...