world news Dozens arrested in Belgium & Spain in major drug trafficking operation The criminal network is accused of using cargo planes, private jets and shipping containers to smuggle cocaine into Europe. 15/02/2022
no comment Croatia police display drugs seized in two raids Croatian police on Tuesday displayed hundreds of pounds of drugs they said were seized in two separate operations last year in a southern Adriatic Sea port close to the famous resort of Dubrovnik. 11/01/2022
Netherlands Dutch police seize 1.6 tonnes of cocaine in Rotterdam port Dutch customs authorities said on Tuesday they had confiscated a record 68 tonnes of cocaine this year, up from 49 tonnes in 2020. 29/12/2021
Germany German police incinerate cocaine worth €270 million in huge operation The drugs were incinerated in Bavaria on Tuesday as part of "Operation Snow Melt". 15/12/2021
Germany German police bust cocaine smuggling network from South America The gang is also accused of using fake companies to fraudulently apply for aid from coronavirus relief programmes. 30/11/2021
Hear Wild Boys: Duran Duran ordered drugs on room service in the 80s The British band's favourite West Hollywood haunt delivered enough substances to see them through the decade twice over. 01/11/2021
Portugal Portugal seizes cocaine worth €200m from yacht in Atlantic Ocean The haul is reported to be one of the largest hauls in Europe in recent years and the biggest in Portugal for 15 years. 18/10/2021
no comment Honduras burns 3.3 tonnes of cocaine seized from cartels Honduras burns 3.3 tonnes of cocaine seized from cartels 02/10/2021
world news Police bust Balkan cartel’s European ‘cocaine pipeline’ 61 people were arrested as police from eight European countries pounced on a Balkan crime organisation allegedly "flooding Europe with cocaine." 27/09/2021
Netherlands Netherlands, Belgium main gateways into Europe for cocaine: Europol "The epicentre of the cocaine market in Europe has shifted northwards," the Europol report, drawn up in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said. 07/09/2021
Montenegro Police find record haul of cocaine in bananas shipment Around 900 kilograms of the drug was found divided into 1,205 packages, law enforcement said in a statement on Friday. 27/08/2021
United Arab Emirates Italian alleged mobster who bought stolen Van Goghs arrested in Dubai Raffaele Imperiale has been wanted by Italian police since two stolen Van Goghs, thought to have been bought with criminal cash, were found in a farmhouse he owned outside Naples. 19/08/2021
United Kingdom Drug-related deaths in England and Wales at highest level since 1993 About half of the deaths involved opiates. 03/08/2021
Netherlands Dutch police bust hidden cocaine factory after Encrochat investigation Eighty police officers descended on the site in Rotterdam where a gang was also fitting out cars with secret compartments so as to "flood Europe with cocaine". 29/05/2021
Brazil 'King of cocaine': Italian mafia boss arrested in Brazil Italian mafia leader Rocco Morabito was one of the top ten most wanted men in the world. 25/05/2021
Kosovo Italian, Albanian and Kosovan police seize more than 400kg of cocaine Italian police estimated that the seized drugs had a European market value of more than €100 million, a record for Kosovo. 18/05/2021
Australia Former Olympian guilty of plotting to smuggle €130 million of cocaine Nathan Baggaley, a three-time world champion canoeist, was found guilty alongside his brother of trying to smuggle 650 kilos of cocaine into Australia in 2018. 02/04/2021
Spain Spain police dismantle Madrid's 'largest' cocaine distribution network Spanish police said they seized 600 kilograms of cocaine and arrested 12 people in the country. 14/03/2021
Germany Blow for smugglers as Hamburg makes Europe's biggest cocaine seizure The cocaine was found in more than 1,700 tin cans that had been filled with putty, Hamburg's customs office said. 24/02/2021
Netherlands Police arrest 17 after finding 'largest ever' Dutch cocaine lab Investigators estimate the drugs found have a street value of between €4.5 million and €6 million. 11/08/2020
Italy Italian police intercept coffee beans stuffed with cocaine The package, sent from Colombia, contained 500 beans that had been cut open, stuffed with cocaine powder and carefully fastened closed with dark brown tape. 17/07/2020
world news Revealed: Europe's drugs of choice are cocaine and MDMA Bad news: Your toilet just ratted you out. 12/03/2020
Colombia Smelling this year's Valentine roses could leave you on a real high Smelling this year's Valentine roses could leave you on a real high 14/02/2020
Peru Watch: Peru's coca farmers encouraged to switch to cacao crop Authorities are trying to persuade farmers to switch to harvesting cacao from coca, which is used to make cocaine. Peru is a major cacao exporter, but also the world's second largest producer of cocaine. 24/09/2019
Spain Made toupee? Man 'tries to smuggle cocaine under his wig' Spanish police said he attracted their attention because he looked nervous and had a disproportionately large hairpiece under his hat. 16/07/2019
Spain Spanish police find 39kg of cocaine in Bolsonaro's G20 plane entourage A Brazilian military officer who was set to accompany President Jair Bolsonaro on his return trip from the G20 in Tokyo was arrested in Spain after 39kg of cocaine was recovered from his luggage, police have revealed. 28/06/2019
