{"id":38705,"date":"2026-06-11T15:31:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:31:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/38705\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T15:31:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:31:12","slug":"spain-accounted-for-more-than-a-third-of-the-cocaine-seized-in-the-european-union-in-2024-with-high-speed-drug-launches-targeting-mallorca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/38705\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain accounted for more than a third of the cocaine seized in the European Union in 2024 with high-speed drug launches targeting Mallorca"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spanish authorities intercepted 124 tonnes of cocaine<\/a> in 2024, equivalent to 37% of all drugs<\/a> seized in the European Union<\/a> during that year, according to the European Drug Report 2026, which warns of the high availability of narcotics within the bloc and the growing sophistication of drug trafficking networks.<\/p>\n

The report, presented by the EU Drugs Agency (EUDA), also identifies Spain<\/a>, France and Belgium as the main points of cocaine seizure in Europe, together accounting for 67% of the 330 tonnes seized across the Union during 2024. \u201cSpain is in a unique position because it is also a gateway to the European Union, particularly for drugs originating in Latin America,\u201d emphasised the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, who also highlighted that cooperation with the Spanish authorities is working \u201cvery well\u201d.<\/p>\n

Although the total volume of cocaine seized fell compared to the previous year, the European agency notes that the number of seizures increased, a trend it attributes to criminal organisations using smaller, fragmented shipments to make detection more difficult. Similarly, the Executive Director of the EUDA, Lorraine Nolan, has warned that criminal networks are increasingly diversifying their transport methods, using smaller ports, vessels for deliveries on the high seas, as well as drones and speedboats. \u2018This shows that, once controls are tightened at major ports, the market adapts and diversifies very quickly,\u2019 she added.<\/p>\n

Production of this substance in South America also remains at record highs, and wastewater analyses show an increase in consumption in more than half of the European cities analysed. The report also highlights Spain\u2019s role in the European cannabis<\/a> market. Spanish authorities seized 206 tonnes of cannabis resin and accounted for 75% of all cannabis plants seized in the European Union last year.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the EUDA notes that seven facilities linked to the secondary processing of cocaine and a further seven dedicated to the production of MDMA tablets were dismantled on Spanish territory, reflecting the growing presence of drug processing activities within European borders.<\/p>\n

At EU level, the agency warns that drug markets are becoming increasingly diverse and complex, with a greater presence of cocaine, synthetic opioids and new psychoactive substances. The agency also warns of the growing use of drones, speedboats and new trafficking routes to smuggle drugs into Europe.<\/p>\n

According to the report, the availability of narcotics remains at historically high levels, against a backdrop marked by rising violence linked to drug trafficking and by the activities of criminal groups that are increasingly adapting to police and customs controls. The EUDA also warns of the rise of e-cigarettes as a means of substance use and notes the detection in several European countries of e-cigarettes containing synthetic and semi-synthetic cannabinoids. Furthermore, the use of these devices among adolescents continues to rise and now affects 44% of European students aged 15 to 16.<\/p>\n

On the health front, it estimates that at least 7,600 people died from drug overdoses in the European Union in 2024, mainly due to the combined use of several substances, and warns of the growing impact of high-potency synthetic opioids in several Member States.<\/p>\n

And, the Spanish government has acknowledged, via the Department of National Security (DSN) report, that there are more than 600 go-fast speedboats suspected of carrying out operations related to drug trafficking, mainly in the Strait of Gibraltar area, as well as an expansion of stashing areas increasingly towards the west (the coast of Huelva and Portugal) and towards the east (the Levante coast, from the coasts of Murcia to those of Girona and the Balearics<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spanish authorities intercepted 124 tonnes of cocaine in 2024, equivalent to 37% of all drugs seized in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38706,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1254,18307,780,18309,2439,12410,18308,333,605,599,600,17],"class_list":["post-38705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-balearics","tag-cannabis","tag-cocaine","tag-criminal-gang","tag-drugs","tag-drugs-smuggling","tag-drugs-trafficking","tag-european-union","tag-latest-headlines","tag-majorca","tag-mallorca","tag-spain"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38705","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38705"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38705\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38705"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38705"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38705"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}