Preventative and repressive measures against drug smuggling in ports

Drug trafficking keeps being an issue in major European ports. According to a recent report by the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), nearly 2,000 tonnes of illegal drugs were seized in or on their way to EU sea ports between 2019 and 2024.^[1]  The authorities are attempting to address it with a combination of repressive and preventative measures.

As regards the repressive approach, the Brussels Times reports^[2] that Belgian authorities recently intercepted a shipment of 1.2 tonnes of cocaine in the Port of Antwerp and carried out ten arrests in relation to the case. Customs officials discovered the drugs aboard the ship Grande Africa when it was anchored at a quay in the Port of Antwerp. The operation involved the Federal Judicial Police of Antwerp, the Maritime Police, and the Special Units Directorate (DSU). Police then arrested ten suspects in the nearby region of Zelzate in connection to the case. A judge in Antwerp is in charge of the investigation and will determine whether the suspects remain in custody.

Meanwhile the European Commission has announced it is preparing a new EU drugs strategy that may also address the topic of drugs smuggling. According to the European Commission, the drugs strategy will aim “to update policy frameworks and propose concrete actions to combat drug trafficking both within the EU and internationally, highlighting a coordinated approach to adapt to emerging threats”^[3]. At the moment, the exact content of the strategy and its impact on the maritime sector is not yet clear, since the European Commission is only at its initial planning phase.  A public consultation is ongoing, which gives stakeholders and other interested parties the opportunity to provide input to the strategy. The European Commission plans to adopt its new drug strategy by the end of the year. It would replace the current strategy^[4] which dates back to 2021.

At the same time the European Commission is equally working on a ports strategy which may also aim to address the issue of drug trafficking in ports. This initiative is also foreseen by the end of the year.^[5] The content of the strategy is not yet clear either, but the European Commission’s initial idea is to make it a holistic action plan that touches on various topics related to ports, which may include the issues of organised crime related to drugs.

^[1] EUDA, Seaports: monitoring the EU’s floodgates for illicit drugs: https://www.euda.europa.eu/publications/joint-publications-including-eu-drug-markets/seaports-monitoring-eu-floodgates-illicit-drugs_en

^[2] Brussels Times, 1 September 2025: https://www.brusselstimes.com/1726663/ten-arrests-after-1-2-tonnes-of-cocaine-intercepted-at-port-of-antwerp

^[3] See European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14682-Tackling-drug-trafficking-EU-drugs-strategy-and-EU-action-plan_en

^[4] https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/49194/eu-drugs-strategy-booklet.pdf

^[5] https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/14659-EU-Ports-Strategy_en