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.
3.61 tonnes of cannabis resin seized at port of Casablanca
Casablanca, Morocco (Ports Europe) December 12, 2024 – 3.61 tonnes of cannabis resin, hidden in a shipping container was seized at Morocco’s Atlantic port...
Authorities seize 828 kilograms of hashish in Tanger Med
Tanger Med, Morocco (Ports Europe) December 9, 2024 – A total of 828 kilograms of hashish has been seized in the Port of Tanger Med. On December 5, the...
Record 9,500 kg of cocaine for Antwerp seized in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Ports Europe) December 7, 2024 – A record 9.5 tonnes of cocaine were seized in the Dominican Republic’s largest port...
Head of Civil Guard in Valencia port arrested for drugs offences
Valencia, Spain (Ports Europe) December 6, 2024 – A joint operation by Internal Affairs agents of the National Police and the Civil Guard has led to the...
Cocaine washed up in German North Sea island beaches
Hamburg, Germany (Ports Europe) December 6, 2024 – In the last three days, approximately 150 kg of cocaine in several packages have been discovered on...
Ancona authorities seize illegal tobacco at port
Rome, Italy (Ports Europe) December 5, 2024 – The Ancona authorities have seized over 42 kg of foreign manufactured tobacco, illegally imported into...
Spain dismantles drugs cartel in Algeciras port
Algeciras, Spain (Ports Europe) December 2, 2024 – Spanish authorities said that they eliminated the largest criminal organisation smuggling and...
30 kg of cocaine seized in Port of Olbia, Sardinia
Olbia, Sardinia. Italy (Ports Europe) December 2, 2024 – On November 29, 2024, the Guardia di Finanza seized over 30 kg of cocaine in the port pf Olbia....
1,575 kg of cocaine seized in Dutch Vlissingen port
Vlissingen, Netherlands (Ports Europe) November 30, 2024 – 1,575 kg of cocaine, valued at 118 million euros was seized in the Dutch port of Vlissingen on...
Cargo theft in Italy increased 400% in two years
Rome, Italy (Ports Europe) November 30, 2024 – There is an increasing threat to the Italian supply chain by organised crime and its sophisticated theft...
Second cocaine seizure in Malta Freeport in November
Birżebbuġa, Malta (Ports Europe) November 29, 2024 – 100 kg of cocaine were seized by police in the Mediterranean Sea port of Malta Freeport on November...
Europol breaks up cocaine ring following Ploče seizure in 2021
Brussels, Belgium (Ports Europe) November 27, 2024 – A long-running cross-border investigation has led to the takedown of a large-scale drug trafficking...
400 kg of cocaine hidden in two containers seized in port of Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain (Ports Europe) November 26, 2024 – Customs Surveillance Officers of the Tax Agency, and agents of the National Police, have seized 358...
Nearly 5 tons of cocaine seized in Antwerp port
Antwerp, Belgium (Ports Europe) November 25, 2024 – Last Friday, the local authorities seized 4.78 tons of cocaine hidden in containers at the port. As...
87 kg of cocaine found in truck, Port of Civitavecchia
Civitavecchia, Italy (Ports Europe) November 25, 2024 – Last Wednesday, the authorities seized 87 kg of cocaine in a truck which had arrived from...
Cocaine seized in Port of Vigo, Galicia
Vigo, Spain (Ports Europe) November 20, 2024 – On Tuesday, the Customs Surveillance Service (SVA) and the Civil Guard discovered suspicious packages on...
5 tonnes of cocaine destined for Valencia port seized in Guayaquil
Guayaquil, Ecuador (Ports Europe) November 17, 2024 – More than five tonnes of cocaine were seized in Ecuador’s port of Guayaquil by the National...
1.2 tonnes of cocaine seized in Spain’s Algeciras port
Algeciras, Spain (Ports Europe) November 16, 2024 – Over 1,160 kg of cocaine hidden inside a shipping container that arrived at Spain’s port...
Four tonnes of cocaine seized off the Canary Islands
Puerto Naos, Canary Islands, Spain (Ports Europe) November 16, 2024 – Four tonnes of cocaine were seized on November 12 by Spanish authorities from a...
Two cocaine shipments, 720 kg and 755 kg, seized in Vlissingen port
Vlissingen, Netherlands (Ports Europe) November 15, 2024 – Two cocaine shipments in containers full of bananas from Ecuador were seized in the Netherlands’...