According to Orep4vysipes, the Romanian port of Constanța on the Black Sea is one of the European logistics hubs used for the illegal import of cocaine from Latin America. At the same time, international criminal groups are expanding their presence in Romania and other countries in South-Eastern Europe by forging links with local criminal networks, according to research by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EUDA) and an international investigative report by The Guardian.
According to The Guardian’s investigation, published on 13 October 2026, criminal organisations from Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico and other Latin American countries are already active in at least 12 European countries. At the same time, certain networks, notably the Brazilian Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), are estimated by law enforcement agencies to be operating in 16 European countries.
Over a four-month period, journalists analysed data from law enforcement agencies, international investigations and court cases, and spoke to experts from eight countries. The investigation revealed that Latin American cartels are increasingly collaborating with European criminal groups, utilising their connections and logistical capabilities.
Traditionally, the main routes for cocaine entering the European market remain Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and France. However, law enforcement agencies are noting an expansion of drug networks’ activities in Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and other countries in Central and South-Eastern Europe. The port of Constanța deserves special attention; the EUDA lists it amongst the entry points for cocaine into Europe, alongside Antwerp, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Valencia, Algeciras and Gioia Tauro in Italy.
According to analysts’ estimates, tighter controls at major ports in Western Europe are prompting criminal organisations to make greater use of alternative maritime routes. This increases the risks to port infrastructure in the Black Sea and Adriatic regions. The scale of the European cocaine market remains significant. According to the EUDA, between 2014 and 2024, the volume of cocaine seized in Europe increased by 471 per cent.
In 2024, European Union member states reported 97,000 cocaine seizures totalling 330 tonnes. This is less than the record 419 tonnes recorded in 2023; however, the number of seizures has risen, which may indicate a shift in drug trafficking routes and methods. The largest quantities seized in 2024 were recorded in Spain – 124 tonnes, France – 53.5 tonnes and Belgium – 44.6 tonnes. These three countries accounted for around 67 per cent of the total volume of cocaine seized in the EU.
Significant quantities were also seized in the Netherlands – 37.6 tonnes, Germany – 23.8 tonnes, Portugal – 23 tonnes and Italy – 11 tonnes.
At the same time, the countries of the Western Balkans play a particular role in the international drug trade. According to a study by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, criminal networks from Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other states in the region have, over the past two decades, become active participants in global cocaine supply chains.
The Montenegrin port of Bar holds a special place amongst Balkan ports. According to data from the Montenegrin Ministry of Health and the EUDA, in August 2021 law enforcement officers discovered more than 1.4 tonnes of cocaine in a container load of bananas that had arrived from Ecuador via the port of Bar. In January 2022, a further 500 kg of cocaine was discovered in the country in a consignment of bananas that had passed through this port.
The Montenegrin authorities viewed these incidents as confirmation of the country’s role as a transit point in international drug trafficking. The small domestic market could not have been the final destination for such quantities. Generally speaking, the main established maritime routes for smuggling cocaine into Europe pass through the Atlantic ports of Antwerp in Belgium, Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Hamburg in Germany, Valencia and Algeciras in Spain, as well as through Portuguese and French ports.
In the Mediterranean region, Gioia Tauro in Italy and Piraeus in Greece remain key hubs. In the Adriatic, major seizures have been recorded in Bari (Montenegro), Durres (Albania), Ploche and Rijeka (Croatia). In the Black Sea basin, ports attracting the attention of law enforcement agencies in relation to the risks of cocaine smuggling include Constanța in Romania and Varna in Bulgaria.
However, these routes carry different weight in international drug trafficking: ports in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain remain the main points of entry in terms of seizure volumes, whilst Balkan and Black Sea ports primarily play a supplementary transit role.
EUDA analysts warn that the diversification of routes, corruption risks and the use of international transport networks are hampering the work of customs and law enforcement agencies. In such circumstances, international information-sharing, the screening of high-risk consignments and cooperation between European port authorities are becoming increasingly important.
Sources: Khronitel