German official says EU can face surge in narcotics because of Trump
(MENAFN) European countries could see a rise in drug flows due to US President Donald Trump’s intensified efforts against alleged narcotics traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific, a German official has cautioned.
German Drug Commissioner Hendrik Streeck told reports that stricter US measures against cartels in Colombia and Venezuela may worsen Europe’s drug challenges. Traffickers might adjust their routes by land and sea or increase their activity online, Streeck warned. “Organized crime is already highly dynamic, especially online,” he said.
Streeck also highlighted an “impending crisis” in Germany, pointing to declining cocaine prices, a growing number of younger users, and rising drug-related fatalities among people under 30. On Friday, while releasing an annual report on narcotics-related crime, he described an “alarming” increase in hard drug consumption.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt added that Germany is facing a “massive drug problem.” Across the EU, cocaine availability continues to climb, with member states reporting record seizures for the seventh straight year in 2023, according to the bloc’s Drugs Agency data.
Washington has intensified anti-trafficking operations, framing them as efforts to disrupt smuggling networks and production chains linked to the US opioid crisis. US forces have targeted suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, including some that the US claims were connected to Venezuela, resulting in dozens of deaths. Caracas denies involvement and accuses Washington of pursuing “regime change.”
Tensions escalated after Trump announced he had authorized covert CIA operations inside Venezuela and hinted that military interventions could expand from sea to land. President Nicolas Maduro condemned the statement as unprecedented and “desperate,” putting the country’s military on high alert.
On Tuesday, US forces struck a suspected smuggling boat off Colombia’s western coast, killing two. Bogota condemned the attacks, warning they risk inflaming tensions and damaging regional cooperation. President Gustavo Petro called the operation “an aggression against all of Latin America and the Caribbean,” alleging Washington aims to seize control of the region’s oil reserves.
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