Cocaine seizure at Nespresso Switzerland – and its repercussion on Swiss drug policy focus
By Dominique Schlund, DMC Analyst
On Monday 2nd of may 2022, the workers of a one of the most famous Swiss coffee companies (Nespresso by Nestlé) in Romont (FR) made a spectacular found: The shipping-containers that usually bring coffee from South America, this time contained over 500 kilograms of cocaine presumably delivered from Brazil, as reported by the Swiss Federal Police. The amount seized has a net-worth of over 50 million dollars, when sold in the streets. Further investigations are currently ongoing (tagblatt.ch, 05.05.22).
What does this huge seizure mean for Switzerland and its drug policy?
Figure 1 500kg of Cocaine seized at Nespresso (Romont, FR) Source: Kapo FR
First of all, the sheer fact, that such a large amount of cocaine, one of the most expensive and therefore valuable drugs, is pretty much abandoned in a container brings up some questions. For example, why did the syndicate responsible for this shipping, worth more than 50 million dollars, not pick it up? Or, how is it possible in the first place, that such an amount is not detected at the harbors either in Brazil or in Europe? The most feasible answer to both of these questions is, that the amounts of illegal drugs crossing European borders, is just too large to control it. Meaning, 500 kilograms of cocaine being seized or just not picked up at the port, is a minor issue. This explanation is backed by several facts: Primarily by the large amounts being seized in Europe every year (219 tons in EU countries in 2019). Secondly, the increase of seizures and seized amounts of cocaine every year, indicating an ever growing market, as 2018 the seized amount in the EU was “only” 177 tons (Europäischer Drogenbericht, 2021). And last but not least, the fact, that no one ever tried to get those 50 million dollars back, before it ended up in the hands of the authorities. This can indicate that it might be a calculated move by the cartels and syndicates, that some deliveries have to be seized in order for many others to be successful. Meaning, that in such a globalized world, which we live today, it is not possible to search or control every shipping that enters Europe. And the cartels are well aware of this fact. Further, the margin on illegal drug-trafficking is very large, so even if a part of the shipment is seized, the business remains quite lucrative.
This brings us towards the most controversial question regarding Swiss drug policy or drug policies in general: the effectiveness of drug prohibition. Even though Switzerland has a pretty progressive drug law, it still prohibits pretty much all generally known drugs. And this indirectly fosters illegal trafficking and thereby funds global cartels and organized crime. As the amount of seized cocaine constantly grows (Europäischer Drogenbericht, 2021), so does the purity of cocaine increases, which leads towards the economic assumption that either the European market is constantly growing or the seized amounts remain a small fraction of the total amount that actually enters Europe. Because if the increase in seizures would have a substantive impact on the market, the drug would either become more expensive or less pure. The trend of the last 10 years shows a clear divergence between price and purity, where the price more or less staying the same while the purity increases (see Table 1). The change in this trend since 2019 has to be further analyzed in the future, however, some experts refer to the pandemic as the main trigger of this situation.
Table 1 Price and Purity 2010-2020 Source: EMCCDA and Europol
These facts should lead towards some questions regarding the efficiency and feasibility of the prohibition policy. The prohibition certainly makes it difficult to have representative studies regarding the real consumption of drugs (dark figures) and following from this, also to implement feasible and effective prevention-campaigns. Examples of countries, that recently tarred down the prohibition, seem to at least justify the question about the efficiency of prohibition. A study about Portugal for example showcases that neither health-issues nor criminality have been increased since the abolishment of prohibition (Agra, Candido da., 2009).
Concluding, it is safe to say that the effectiveness of prohibition in Europe, should at least be questioned if not challenged. The reason is, that it does not really seem to solve the
problem, as the market for cocaine is growing the seizures don’t likely to affect that increase. Together with the positive outcomes, that countries like Portugal have registered since their abolishment of the prohibition (Agra, Candido da., 2009), these results should lead towards an evaluation of the real effectiveness of prohibition-policies.
Sources:
Agra, Cândido da. “Requiem für den Krieg gegen Drogen: portugiesische Erfahrungen der Entkriminalisierung.” Soziale Probleme 20.1/2 (2009): 90-118.
Europäische Beobachtungstelle für Drogen und Drogensucht. “Europäischer Drogenbericht 2021 Trends und Entwicklungen” (2022)
https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/edr/trends- developments/2021_en
Europäische Beobachtungsstelle für Drogen und Drogensuch (EMCDDA & Eurpol). “EU Drug Market: Cocaine– In depth analysis” (2022).
https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/eu-drug-markets/cocaine/retail- markets_en – chart-id-g5MjAyOTkz-html-source-table
https://www.tagblatt.ch/news-service/vermischtes-people/drogen-nespresso-findet- halbe-tonne-kokain-in-container-mit-kaffeebohnen-ld.2286033
- Published in Education, Prevention, Uncategorized
The Other Pandemic
Ian Stewart, Regional Analyst at DMC
PUBLISHED: 11 February 2021
The past year the world has had their eyes glued to the Covid Health crisis: tracking daily case numbers, vaccines, hospitalizations and deaths. The DMC (Drug Monitoring center) is one of the many establishments that have been monitoring and collecting data on the Other pandemic that has increased drastically alongside the Covid-19 Pandemic:Drug Abuse and Overdose, particularly in North America.
US: Millennium Health, a national drug testing laboratory, has released troubling data that compares drug use before and after Coronavirus rocked the world. From March 2020, to the end of May 2020, urine tests for Millennium Health detected an increase of 32% for non-prescribed fentanyl, 20% for methamphetamine, 12.5% for heroin and 10% for cocaine.
The CDC (Center of Disease and Prevention) has presented data highlighting the severity of the situation, reporting increases in overdose deaths from synthetic opioids, increasing 38.4 percent from the 12-month period leading up to May 2020 compared with to the same dates in 2019. The total number of overdose related deaths equalling 81,000 in 2020. The increase was not limited to opioids but almost every type of drug abuse: Overdose deaths involving cocaine increased by 26.5 percent and methamphetamine increasing by 34.8 percent.
Canada: This “Other Pandemic” or more accurately a pandemic within pandemic is not contained to the US but rather strikingly similar findings have been reported across the northern border of the country. In Ontario, Canada’s largest province, for example, opioid overdose deaths are up 40% since the start of Covid-19. A publication by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine shows evidence of a 108% jump in the percentage of fentanyl positive urine drug screens from April to September 2020. Particularly, rural communities have seen the most notable increase in the percent of fentanyl positive urine drug screen results.
But why has the Covid Pandemic resulted in this huge increase in drug abuse? There is not straight forward to the question, however, it is secure to say that multiple factors play a role in the consistent increase of drug overdoses. In August, a survey conducted by the CDC revealed how serious the psychological and emotional impact of the Coronavirus pandemic is for all people, irrespective of their background. In 2020 anxiety disorder symptoms were nearly 3x that in 2019 (25.5% versus 8.1%), and depressive disorder was about four times higher than 2019 (24.3% versus 6.5%). Further to this, CDC stated that 13.3% of its respondents reported starting or increasing substance abuse.
The CCSA (Canadian Center of Substance abuse and addiction) reported that there has been a substantial decrease in the availability and capacity of substance abuse treatments and services due to closures and new Covid restrictions at clinics. This decrease, along with other factors, led to many clients returning to or engaging in higher risk substance use, and longer wait times for services.
It is not too difficult to observe how the increase in drug abuse in North America has evolved into such a dangerous situation. A sharp increase in mental illness and substance abuse with fewer services available to help those in need is truly a recipe for disaster. As the Covid-19 pandemic rages on across the world, governments need to pay attention to the “Other Pandemic” raging in the background and the countless lives it is claiming.
- Published in Addiction, Drugs Info, Harm Reduction, Prevention
Preventing overdose deaths in Europe
More than 9 000 lives were reported to be lost to drug overdoses in Europe (28 EU Member States, Turkey and Norway) in 2016, the latest reporting year, and this is an underestimate. Reducing drug-related deaths therefore remains a major challenge for public health policy. This analysis describes some of the factors that increase the risk of fatal and non-fatal overdoses and a number of interventions developed to prevent these events.
The heroin epidemics that spread across Europe in the 1980s resulted in increasing numbers of overdose deaths (1) among opioid users, which peaked for the first time around the turn of the millennium. A new record number for the countries reporting to the EMCDDA (28 EU Member States, Turkey and Norway) was registered in 2016, with 9 138 overdose deaths. At country level, the most recent data from a number of the countries with relatively robust reporting systems, including Ireland, Lithuania, Sweden and the United Kingdom, show
an increase. The 2016 data show an increasing trend for the fourth consecutive year.
Drug overdose continues to be a major cause of death, especially among young people in Europe, with data showing that males are disproportionally affected. Overdose mortality rates are highest at age 35-39 for males, with 57.4 deaths per million, and at age 40-44 for females, with 12.4 deaths per million. Mean age at death, however, is 39 years old for both men and women. European countries have implemented a variety of approaches in their attempt to reduce overdose deaths at the national level, using evidence-based interventions drawing on an understanding of individual and environmental risk factors.
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- Published in Prevention
Drugs and the darknet
Illicit trade on darknet markets is one manifestation of the increasingly complex nature of transnational organised crime in the European Union (EU). Darknet markets, also known as cryptomarkets, provide a largely anonymous platform for trading in illicit goods and services.
Drugs are estimated to account for around two thirds of darknet market activity. Almost any type of drug is accessible to buyers with basic technical understanding within a few clicks, including new psychoactive substances. This development poses a significant threat to the
health and security of citizens and communities across the EU.
This report summarises our current understanding of the functioning of darknet markets and outlines potential countermeasures for policymakers and law enforcement professionals engaged in the fight against this phenomenon. Our point of departure is a review of the threat we face in this area, bringing together the latest findings from international research, fresh empirical data, operational information and intelligence. This analysis provides us with the opportunity to identify priority areas for targeted actions, and leads us to the conclusion that Europe needs greater investment and continuous innovation, if we are to keep pace with the challenges we face in this area.
For this report, the EMCDDA and Europol have combined the latest available data and outlined law enforcement strategies to reduce criminal opportunities in the darknet ecosystem. We present a multidisciplinary analysis of how darknet markets function and how they relate to criminal behaviour. We explore the implications of this for drug control policies, research and monitoring approaches, and law enforcement activities. We would like to particularly acknowledge the input from experts in academia and law enforcement officials, without which this report would not have been possible.
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- Published in Prevention