Criminal gangs targeting smaller ports to smuggle cocaine into Europe
Criminal gangs targeting smaller ports to smuggle cocaine into Europe
Drug cartels are “increasingly exploiting smaller ports” to smuggle narcotics into Europe, the Irish head of the EU Drugs Agency has said.
Speaking in Dublin Port at an event organised by the Irish presidency of the EU, Lorraine Nolan said that seaports are “heavily targeted” by organised criminal networks to ship drugs into the EU.
The event marked a meeting of the European Ports Alliance (EPA), a Public-Private Partnership initiative of the European Commission, aimed at boosting the resilience and security of ports.
Both the EUDA and Europol, the EU police agency, have highlighted the threats posed by smuggling, including the corruption of employees of various agencies — both state and private — working in ports. Dublin and Cork ports are members of the EPA. (Irish Examiner, Irland, 18.07.2026)