Illicit drug production on European soil increased during the Covid-19 pandemic as containment measures helped shift drug sales from the street to online platforms, according to the new European Drug Report 2021 published on 9 June by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
Criminal groups have also adapted to travel restrictions and border closures by making less use of smugglers and turning to sea containers and commercial supply chains.
“At wholesale level this is reflected in some changes in routes and methods, with more reliance on smuggling via intermodal containers and commercial supply chains and less reliance on the use of human couriers”, says the EMCDDA.
Ultimately, street-level drug retail markets were disrupted during the initial lockdowns. But sellers and buyers have adapted by using encrypted messaging services, social media applications, and courier and home delivery services.
“This raises the concern that a possible long-term impact of the pandemic will be to further digitally enable drug markets”, the monitoring centre points out.
In terms of drugs produced, cannabis cultivation and synthetic drug production in the EU appear stable at pre-pandemic levels, but still at high levels. The EMCDDA is also concerned about “the misuse of benzodiazepines, either diverted from therapeutic use or benzodiazepines not licenced for medical use in Europe”, as an “increased use of benzodiazepines was seen among high-risk drug users, prisoners, and some groups of recreational drug users”.
According to the monitoring centre, this may “[reflect] the high availability and low cost of these substances and pandemic-related mental health issues”.
Link to the report: https://bit.ly/3pG2Rj3 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)