An investigator boards a narco submarine off the Spanish coast.Image: EPA EFE
January 27, 2026, 11:12 amJanuary 27, 2026, 11:12 am
According to a Europol report, cocaine is being trafficked into Europe using new routes and with almost perfect camouflage. The international drug gangs have switched to new methods.
This emerges from a report by the European Police Authority in The Hague. The gangs used high technology, high sea transfers, semi-submersibles, speedboats, drones and sophisticated hideouts.
Imagine tonnes of cocaine transferred directly at sea, transported in semi-submersible, or stored under water.
Our new report focuses on concealment methods, route fragmentation, and the trafficking methods used to evade detection.
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— Europol (@Europol) January 27, 2026
According to Europol, cocaine trafficking to Europe has reached “unprecedented levels,” driven by high production in South America and increasing demand in the EU. But the gangs were less likely to head to large seaports such as Antwerp or Rotterdam.
Cocaine almost perfectly disguised
The Europol experts point out that cocaine is hidden in industrial plants, machines or even underwater on the hull of a ship. Gangs would also “wash” the drugs into food, plastics or textiles using chemicals. An almost perfect camouflage, according to Europol: “These methods make detection by scanners, sniffer dogs and forensic tests extremely difficult.”
The international gangs also used technology such as encrypted communications systems, autonomous ships and drones. In this way they hoped to escape the investigators.
Route now runs via West Africa
Europol experts point out that the gangs are increasingly reloading the goods on the high seas onto a subsidiary ship bound for West Africa. From there, the cocaine is then transported directly to mainland Europe or to the Canary Islands. With the help of speedboats, the drugs then reached the Andalusian coast and then throughout the EU.
Europol chief Catherine De Bolle underlined the need for international cooperation. “We know that these groups are increasingly diversifying their methods, using smaller ships, sea transfers and clever camouflage techniques to avoid detection.” (pre/sda)