After cannabis, cocaine is the most widely used illegal drug in Europe. And Switzerland has been at the forefront for several years.Image: www.imago-images.de
The European drug report shows: Ketamine and synthetic opioids are becoming increasingly widespread. When it comes to hard drugs, cocaine remains at the top. There are reasons for that.
June 9, 2026, 5:15 p.mJune 9, 2026, 5:15 p.m
Remo Hess, Brussels / ch media
Europe has a drug problem. And things are increasingly getting out of hand. This is the shortest conclusion annual report of the European Drug Agency (EUDA)which was published on Tuesday.
Cocaine remains at the top of the list of hard drugs. This is now “more readily available than ever before”. EU Interior Commissioner Magnus Brunner said this in Brussels. In 2024, slightly fewer cocaine shipments from South America were confiscated at European ports, at 330 tons. Last year it was 419 tons. But that alone doesn’t mean that less cocaine is arriving in Europe.
It turns out that the smugglers have found new ways. They are increasingly reloading their goods on the high seas and bringing them ashore using speedboats or maritime drones. Or they integrate the cocaine into other goods using complex chemical processes and then release it again.
Geneva and Zurich remain firmly in the top ranks
Above all, however, smugglers are increasingly switching from the large cargo ports such as Antwerp and Rotterdam to smaller ports. The largest amount of cocaine seized was in Spain in 2024 with 124 tons. France reported a historic peak of 53.5 tonnes.
In Belgium, however, confiscated quantities fell by 64 percent. In the Netherlands it was a decrease of 36 percent. What is also noticeable: The cocaine mafia is increasingly abusing vulnerable minors for their business, street sales and the associated violent crime.
These cities in Europe are where the most coke is consumed, proportional to the number of inhabitants:
1. Middlesbrough (UK)
2. Bristol (UK)
3. Lleida (ESP)
4. Antwerp (BEL)
5. Granada (ESP)
6. Amsterdam (NL)
7. Geneva (CH)
8. Zurich (CH)
9. Liege (BEL)
10. Brussels (BEL)
As in previous years, the Swiss cities of Geneva and Zurich are in the top ten of Europe’s cocaine hotspots. Lucerne is in 15th place and we know from previous wastewater analyzes that a disproportionate amount of coke is also used in St. Gallen.
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While the substance, which can also be used as an anesthetic for horses, was only consumed in a niche for a long time, young people are increasingly discovering it as a recreational drug. The market and with it the number of consumers are growing.
“This normalization worries me,” says EUDA boss Lorraine Nolan. Because ketamine can cause serious health damage. According to Nolan, the number of patients requiring treatment for ketamine has quadrupled in recent years. Ketamine seems to be particularly popular in Germany. 77 percent of the seized amount of ketamine was found here.
Synthetic drugs are spreading rapidly
Heroin remains at the top among opioids. But synthetically produced opioids have also gained a foothold in Europe. The most well-known of these is probably the painkiller fentanyl, which has led to a veritable epidemic in the USA. It is so powerful that even a tip of a knife can kill you. Synthetic opioids are also playing a growing role in overdoses in Europe. While coke is more common in Western Europe, synthetic opioids are a cause for concern in the Baltics and Bulgaria.
Another problem that continues to grow is newly developed substances. 50 new substances were discovered in Europe last year – one is added every week. Nolan: “The variety of substances found on Europe’s roads is becoming increasingly unpredictable.” Consumers receive a substance that they do not know how strong its effect will be.
This also applies to the most widely consumed drug in Europe: cannabis. This is partially diluted with highly potent synthetic cannabinoids, which increases the risk of poisoning. (aargauerzeitung.ch)