France said on Wednesday it will seize 27 tonnes of cocaine by 2022, a five-fold increase in 10 years, as Europe sees an increase in the drug’s trade and use.
Seizures rose five percent last year compared to 2021, according to interior ministry figures, with more than half of the narcotics coming from the West Indies and the impoverished South American region of Guyana.
Cocaine trade
Because the illegal trade is on the rise, most cocaine enters Europe through northern ports like Rotterdam, Antwerp, Hamburg and Le Havre in France.
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With its vast cargo terminal where the Seine meets the sea, the port city of Le Havre has become a major entry point for cocaine into France.
It saw 1.9 tonnes of coke seized in just a few days at the end of February according to the public accounts ministry, which oversees the implementation of customs duties.
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An AFP investigation earlier this year found that more than six pounds of cocaine consumed in France were smuggled inside the bodies of drug mules, including pregnant women, on flights from Guyana.
Drug trafficking
Last year’s cocaine haul was part of the 157 tonnes of illegal drugs seized overall by French authorities.
“The war against drug trafficking is more than the mother of all wars,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told reporters at a Paris press conference.
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Cannabis seizures also increased by 15 percent last year compared to the previous year to reach 128 tons.
Law enforcement also seized 1.4 tons of heroin (up eight percent) and 273 kilograms of synthetic drugs (up 21 percent).
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