Cocaine: four infographics on a European scourge

The case caused a stir: 49 suspects arrested, 30 tons seized, several countries and police involved. The Europol operation which revealed a “super-cartel” in November puts drug trafficking on the Old Continent at the heart of the news.

In recent years, cocaine, in particular, has continued to become more popular and the number of seizures has exploded. The Belgian port of Antwerp would have become a traffic hub of white powder, coming from South America, and destined for all of Central Europe.

In France, cocaine is consumed by 5.6% of the population, according to figures from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction. A democratization that goes hand in hand with heavy trends: the price which remains stable, even falling in recent years, and the pure cocaine content, that is to say that the substance on the market is increasingly pure. According to the OFDT [NDLR : l’observatoire français] this phenomenon is due to competition and ever-increasing production: traffickers are less inclined to cut the product, which arrives purer to consumers: in 2019, the average levels of cocaine (60%) and heroin (22%) contained in seizures of less than 10 grams are among the highest ever recorded in France

The price has now become more democratic, and in the main cities of France the price of a gram of cocaine is around 60 euros. But in recent years, smaller doses are available, from 5 or 10 euros the “pochon” in Marseille, points out the OFDT in its local analyzes.

In Europe, the price of a gram of cocaine is very variable. Analysis comparison of the United Nations office on drugs shows that the cheapest country for cocaine by far is Portugal.