Amen to that ..
As welfare provision retreats, European states police the marginalised while laundering networks and corporate enablers escape scrutiny.
Europe faces a dangerous convergence: volatile drug markets, rising socioeconomic insecurity, and a political climate in which governments can appear decisive by policing the poor and the most marginalised.
The latest European Drug Report describes illicit markets that are more potent, more diversified, and increasingly difficult to govern. Synthetic opioids such as nitazenes are emerging in new forms, while cocaine remains deeply embedded in ports, logistics chains, and urban economies. The UN World Drug Report 2026 warns that traffickers are experimenting with new routes, technologies, and substances, with nitazenes already linked to deaths across the continent.
These harms are tangible. Families and communities suffer from overdoses, contaminated supplies, debt bondage, the exploitation of minors, intimidation, and organised violence. Criminal networks establish themselves where social protection has weakened, and young people are drawn into illicit economies before they can envisage credible futures.
In June, the Council of the EU advanced a 2026–2030 action plan against drug trafficking, emphasising ports, maritime cooperation, and a stronger “follow-the-money” approach. These priorities matter. Europe’s logistics chains, shell companies, laundering networks, and professional enablers all warrant sustained scrutiny. As Europol has shown, organised crime operates not only in the shadows but also through legal infrastructures, technological systems, and financial channels.
