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.
Fake bananas with 250 kg of cocaine seized in Gioia Tauro port
Gioia Tauro, Italy (Ports Europe) May 10, 2024 – More than 250 kg of cocaine was seized in Italy’s Mediterranean port of Gioia Tauro on May 8 in a load of...
340 kilos of hashish and marijuana found in Civitavecchia port
Civitavecchia, Italy (Ports Europe) May 10, 2024 – Two consignments of over 340 kilos of hashish and marijuana, hidden among pallets of fruit and...
Ecuador confiscates drugs destined for Bulgaria
Quito, Ecuador (Ports Europe) May 8, 2024 – Ecuadorian police have seizure of a tonne of cocaine hydrochloride at a port in the coastal province of...
Port Security Corps in the port of Antwerp sees success
Antwerp, Belgium (Ports Europe) May 8, 2024 – The creation of the Port Security Corps in the port of Antwerp a year ago has increased security checks and...
Coalition publishes the Hamburg Declaration to fight illegal drugs
Hamburg, Germany (Ports Europe) May 8, 2024 – Yesterday, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser hosted a ministerial conference of the coalition...
Attempted smuggling of 209 kg of cannabis via Igoumenitsa port
Igoumenitsa, Greece (Ports Europe) May 7, 2024 – An unidentified truck driver, who tried to smuggle 209 kg of cannabis via the northwestern Greek port of...
Cocaine seized in Hamburg port has tripled in the last five years
Hamburg, Germany (Ports Europe) May 7, 2024 – It has been reported that the amount of cocaine seized in the port of Hamburg has tripled in the last five...
Guardia Civil seizes 2,345 kilos of hashish off Las Palmas
Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain (Ports Europe) April 29, 2024 – Spain’s Guardia Civil has seized 2,345 kilos of hashish after intercepting an...
Berlin hosts anti-drugs event with Hamburg, Antwerp, Rotterdam
Berin, (Ports Europe) April 29, 2024 – Last week, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser hosted a meeting in Berlin with Dr Peter Tschentscher,...
25 tons of hashish seized in the port of Algeciras
Algeciras, Spain (Ports Europe) April 26, 2024 – The Civil Guard, in collaboration with the Customs Surveillance Service of the Tax Agency, has seized...
Cocaine found in port of Piraeus
Piraeus, Greece (Ports Europe) April 26, 2024 – Inspectors from the Hellenic Authority for Communication Security and Privacy (AADE) have seized a huge...
Port of Ravenna, 150kg cocaine seized from ship
Ravenna, Italy (Ports Europe) April 23, 2024 – Around 150 kilos of cocaine were seized by the police on a ship waiting in the port of Ravenna. The...
55 kg of cocaine seized in the port of Haifa
Haifa, Israel (Ports Europe) April 23, 2024 – An operation by the authorities has seized 55 kg of cocaine in the port of Haifa. The drugs were discovered...
“Adriacustoms” initiative presented in Rome
Rome, Italy (Ports Europe) April 23, 2024 — Italy’s Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) has hosted the presentation of the Adriacustoms project. This...
Drug trafficking via Italian ports: Global Crime Journal
London, United Kingdom (Ports Europe) April 22, 2024 – An article Unpacking drug trafficking phenomenon through seaports: lessons from the Italian ports...
Conference: Drug related organised crime - an EU judicial challenge
La Hulpe, Belgium (Ports Europe) April 19, 2024 – Drug-related organised crime goes beyond national borders and requires a cross-border, collaborative...
Key port sector issues discussed at TT Club seminar
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Ports Europe) April 19, 2024 – Maritime & Transport Business Solutions (MTBS) reported on the key port sector trends and...
Third drug seizure in a month in Belgium’s North Sea Port
Ghent, Belgium (Ports Europe) April 18, 2024 – Drugs were again found in Belgium’s North Sea Port Ghent during the inspection of a coal ship on April 13....
Six tonnes of cocaine seized near Antwerp port
Antwerp, Belgium (Ports Europe) April 17, 2024 – Cocaine weighing 5,922 kg was seized on April 10 during a raid by special units on a warehouse on an...
Over 600 million illicit cigarettes seized in EU in 2023
Brussels, Belgium (Ports Europe) April 17, 2024 – In 2002, international operations involving the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) led to the seizure of...