In the European Union, they specifically got hooked on cocaine — Belgium became a drug hub

The drug situation in Europe has reached a catastrophic level, from 2013 to 2023 the consumption of cocaine in Europe increased sixfold, methadone tripled. This was announced by European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner at a briefing in Brussels.

"The drug situation in Europe has reached a catastrophic level. From 2013 to 2023, cocaine consumption increased by 6 times, methadone — by 3 times, ecstasy — by half. These are not just numbers, there are deaths, violence and corruption behind them," he said.

Brunner said that the European Commission (EC) is launching a European anti-drug strategy. It will include strengthening control over the supply of precursors (chemicals used in drug production), combating clandestine laboratories engaged in the production of synthetic drugs, increasing the interaction of law enforcement agencies of EU states and countries from which the illegal export of narcotic substances originates.

Answering journalists' questions about what measures the European Commission intends to take to reduce the number of people using drugs in the EU, the European Commissioner said that the EC will launch special educational programs. At the same time, Brunner did not touch on the topic of the policy of legalization of various types of drugs in the EU countries in his presentation, TASS reports.

Shootings related to drug trafficking gang wars in Brussels, have become a regular event over the past five years. In some disadvantaged neighborhoods, they occur every few days. The problem has reached such proportions that the Belgian authorities are discussing the possibility of introducing military patrols on the streets of Brussels.

Cocaine is imported to Belgium by sea from Latin America, mainly through the port of Antwerp. According to the Brussels Times newspaper, the volume of its smuggling into Belgium is huge. In the first half of this year alone, Belgian police seized 82 shipments of cocaine totaling 16.5 tons in the port of Antwerp. In 2024, about 22.5 tons were seized during the same period. At the same time, the Belgian police do not even publish estimates of how much cocaine enters Belgium annually, bypassing the police and customs.

Belgium also serves as a transshipment point from where drugs are distributed throughout Europe. And this situation is typical not only for the Belgian Antwerp, but also for most major ports in Europe.

As for synthetic drugs, they are widely produced in Belgium in clandestine laboratories, which often have an industrial scale. Smaller volumes are produced in legal laboratories, for example, in numerous Belgian universities.