Cocaine seizures will not dent buoyant global market

Significance

Ecuador, Paraguay, and Spain are among the countries reporting major hauls, with consignments typically hidden in banana shipments. The volume of seizures demonstrates the vitality of the transatlantic cocaine trade. European politicians are divided over responses.

Impacts

• Drug supply chains will reconfigure in response to improved security at preferred ports of departure and entry.
• Seizures shatter crime group trust and gang agreements, increasing violence risks in Europe’s underworld.
• European divisions between those supporting tough law enforcement responses and those favouring drug policy reform will intensify.