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.
373 kg of cocaine seized in Turkey’s port of Gemlik
Gemlik, Turkey (Ports Europe) June 4, 2024 – Turkish police have detained nine people suspected of involvement in an international drug trafficking ring...
285 kilos of cocaine seized in Gioia Tauro
Gioia Tauro, Italy (Ports Europe) June 4, 2024 – 266 bricks of cocaine were found hidden in bags of pellet fuel in a warehouse in Gioia Tauro. The...
Hamburg sets up port security centre
Hamburg, Germany (Ports Europe) Juni 3, 2024 – The Port of Hamburg has opened a port security centre (HSZ-Hafensicherheitszentrum) to support the police,...
18.2 tonnes of cannabis resin seized in Morocco’s Sidi Rahal
Casablanca, Morocco (Ports Europe) June 3, 2024 – Over 18.2 tonnes of cannabis resin were seized by the police from the beach area of Morocco’s Sidi...
Over 1000 kg of cocaine seized in port of Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany (Ports Europe) June 2, 2024 – Over 1000 kg of cocaine were seized in the German North Sea port of Hamburg in early May, the local...
Second 60 kg cocaine seizure in St. Petersburg port in 40 days
St. Petersburg, Russia (Ports Europe) June 1, 2024 – Over 60 kg of cocaine were seized by police in Russia’s Big Port of St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea...
Two tonnes of cocaine seized in Antwerp
Antwerp, Belgium (Ports Europe) June 1, 2024 – Belgium police seized 1,963 tonnes of cocaine hidden in two separate containers in the port of Antwerp on May...
Port of Livorno – 60kg of cocaine found in bananas
Livorno, Italy (Ports Europe) May 31, 2024 – The authorities have today seized approximately 60kg of cocaine in the Port of Livorno. They were found in a...
Third cocaine seizure in Greece’s Piraeus in a week
Piraeus, Greece (Ports Europe) May 29, 2024 – Greek authorities said on May 27 that they confiscated some 46 kg of cocaine worth 2 million euro in Piraeus...
500 kg of cocaine seized in the Dutch port of Vlissingen
Vlissingen, The Netherlands (Ports Europe) May 25, 2024 – Customs officials at the Netherlands’ port of Vlissingen seized almost 500 kg of cocaine on...
7.3 kg of cocaine seized in Albania’s port of Durres
Durres, Albania (Ports Europe) May 25, 2024 – 7.3 kg of cocaine was seized in Albania’s Adriatic Sea port of Durres on the evening of May 24. The drug...
52 kg of cocaine seized in a port in Georgia
Poti, Georgia (Ports Europe) May 24, 2024 – About 52 kg of cocaine were seized in a Georgian Black Sea port in a container with bananas from Ecuador on...
Police seize 210 kilos of cocaine in Piraeus port
Piraeus, Greece (Ports Europe) May 24, 2024 – The police have seized over 210 kilos of cocaine in the port of Piraeus. The illegal drugs were discovered...
Links with South America expose ports to criminal gangs
Vigo, Spain (Ports Europe) May 21, 2024 – Whilst Galicia in Northern Spain is not considered a main gateway for cocaine smuggling into Europe, there are...
Over 1,000 kg of cocaine seized in Spanish & Portuguese ports
Madrid, Spain (Ports Europe) May 21, 2024 – The Portuguese Tax Agency, National Police and Judicial Police have seized more than 1,000 kilos of cocaine...
116 kg of cocaine seized in Vado port, Genoa
Genoa, Italy (Ports Europe) May 15, 2024 – A total of 102 blocks of cocaine have been seized inside a container in Vado port. The drugs initially...
Bloomberg: Cocaine superhighway to Europe
Antwerp, Belgium (Ports Europe) May 14, 2024 – Cocaine seizures through Antwerp port have grown more than 20-fold over the last decade,...
Yachting cocaine route Bulgaria-Greece busted
Sofia, Bulgaria (Ports Europe) May 14, 2024 – Over 10 tonnes of cocaine were transported per year by yachts between Bulgaria’s Black Sea marinas in...
German investigators find 190 kilos of cocaine in banana crates
Hamburg, Germany (Ports Europe) May 12, 2024 – The state criminal police office in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, has seized around 190 kilograms of cocaine...
60 kg of cocaine seized in Russian port of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Russia (Ports Europe) May 10, 2024 – Some 60 kg of cocaine were seized in Russia’s Big Port of St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea on April...