Europeans spend annually on drugs for over 24 billion euros. About it reports Agence France Presse with reference to data from Europol and the European monitoring centre for drugs and drug addiction.
“The market for illicit drugs remains one of the most profitable business for organized criminal gangs, according to our estimates, citizens of EU countries annually spend more than 24 billion Euro for drugs,” reads the report.
“The drug market is one of the main threats to the European Union, – said the head of Europol Rob Wainwright. – Cooperation between law enforcement authorities of different countries is key to combating this phenomenon, and Europol and other European institutions can provide their unique resources and technical capabilities for this purpose”.
According to him, drug trafficking is closely linked with other crimes and even terrorism. Many of those who chose the path of extremism, began as petty criminals, selling or using illegal drugs.
According to the presented data, in 2013 on the drug market 38% had taken cannabis, 28% heroin 24% cocaine, 8% amphetamines, 3% ecstasy. About 1 percent of Europeans use marijuana almost every day, and that 22 million people.
Most often the drugs come to Europe by sea in containers, only a small percentage in the EU is delivered by land (through the Balkans) or by air. The criminals are leveraging their imagination: illegal cargo hidden in pineapples, bananas, flowers, jars of canned goods, etc. Once in Spain cocaine police found under a pile of fresh cow hide.
