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.
Cocaine seized in the port of Beirut
Beirut, Lebanon (Ports Europe) April 10, 2024 – 25.6 kg of the “basic ingredient of cocaine” concealed in the metal structure of a container with...
New Europol report on criminal networks active in the EU
Brussels, Belgium (Ports Europe) April 8, 2024 – Europol has presented its first report on the most threatening criminal networks active in the EU. The...
Police breaks up trafficking in the Transportes Castero company, Spain
Las Palmas, Canary Islands, Spain (Ports Europe) April 2, 2024 – The National Police’s Central Narcotics Department has seized 813 kilos of drugs...
Guardia di Finanza find 150kg cocaine in Port of Gioia Tauro
Gioia Tauro, Italy (Ports Europe) April 2, 2024 – On March 15, 2024, the Guardia di Finanza confiscated 150kg of cocaine inside a container at the Port...
Four tons of hashish seized in the port of Motril
Motril, Spain (Ports Europe) March 28, 2024 – The Civil Guard has seized more than 4,400 kilos of hashish hidden in double bottoms of the roofs of the...
Largest ever cocaine seizure in Bulgaria’s Burgas port
Burgas, Bulgaria (Ports Europe) March 26, 2024 – More than 170 kg of cocaine were seized in Bulgaria’s Black Sea port of Burgas – the largest ever amount...
11 tonnes of cocaine seized by French Navy in the Gulf of Guinea
Brest, France (Ports Europe) March 24, 2024 – The French Navy intercepted a shipment of 10,693 kilograms of cocaine aboard a 20-meter-long Brazilian...
Cocaine discovered in Port of Koper
Koper, Slovenia (Ports Europe) March 19, 2024 – Slovenian police have confiscated 260 kilograms of cocaine in the port of Koper. The seizure occurred...
250 kilos of cocaine in a shipment in the port of Rotterdam
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Ports Europe) March 18, 2024 – The local customs authorities has discovered 250 kilos of cocaine in a shipment of grapes in the...
Authorities discover 1.3 tonnes of hashish in Tanger Med
Tanger Med, Morocco (Ports Europe) March 18, 2024 – The authorities have found 1.3 tonnes of hashish (cannabis resin) in a Moroccan-registered...
One tonne of cocaine seized in Le Havre port
Le Havre, France (Ports Europe) March 14, 2024 – French customs seized more than 1,000 kg of cocaine in the country’s second-largest port of Le Havre...
Spanish ports as Europe’s entry gates for drugs
Valencia, Spain (Ports Europe) March 13, 2024 – Over the past year, cocaine seizures in Spain have broken all historical records, reaching 100,000 kg...
130 kilos of marijuana found in a truck at the port of Livorno
Livorno, Italy (Ports Europe) March 8, 2024 – A stash of 130 kilos of marijuana was discovered in a truck arriving at the port of Livorno from Spain. The...
Europol: EU Drug Markets, Analysis – 2024
Brussels, Belgium (Ports Europe) March 7, 2024 – Europol has published its annual report entitled “EU Drug Markets, Analysis – 2024”....
More drugs seized in St. Petersburg port
St. Petersburg, Russia (Ports Europe) March 7, 2023 – Some 11 kg of cocaine were seized in Russia’s Big Port of St. Petersburg on the Baltic Sea, the...
1.3 tons of cocaine seized in Port of Lisbon
Lisbon, Portugal (Ports Europe) March 5, 2024 – The authorities have seized 1.3 tons of cocaine in the Port of Lisbon. The illegal drugs were hidden...
55 kg cocaine seized in Port of Livorno
Livorno, Italy (Ports Europe) February 23, 2024 – The authorities in Livorno have discovered 55 kg of pure cocaine hidden in a container at the port....