Dozens have died in American assaults on suspected drug-smuggling vessels across the Caribbean and Pacific.
Europe could see an increase in illegal drugs, a German official cautioned, due to US President Donald Trump’s “war on drugs” focusing on suspected traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific regions.
German Drug Commissioner Hendrik Streeck informed Bild on Thursday that stronger US enforcement against cartels in Colombia and Venezuela might worsen Europe’s existing narcotics issues.
Streeck cautioned that traffickers might alter their routes, using both sea and land, and increase their online presence. He stated, “Organized crime is already highly dynamic, especially online.”
He also highlighted an “impending crisis” within Germany itself, attributing it to declining cocaine costs, an uptick in younger users, and a rise in drug-related fatalities among individuals under 30.
Presenting an annual report on drug-related crime on Friday, Streeck characterized an “alarming” escalation in hard drug usage. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt commented that Germany confronts a “massive drug problem.”
Across the EU, the availability of cocaine keeps increasing, as member states recorded an unprecedented volume of seizures for the seventh year running in 2023, data from the bloc’s Drugs Agency confirms.
Washington has broadened its anti-trafficking efforts, framing them as integral to a strategy aimed at disrupting smuggling pathways and production chains connected to the US opioid crisis. American forces have attacked suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, some of which Washington asserts had ties to Venezuela, resulting in dozens of deaths. Caracas refutes any involvement and charges Washington with pursuing “regime change.”
Tensions escalated following Trump’s announcement that he had authorized clandestine CIA operations within Venezuela and indicated that military actions might extend from maritime to ground operations. President Nicolas Maduro labeled the declaration as unprecedented and “desperate,” consequently placing the military on alert.
On Tuesday, American forces assaulted a suspected smuggling craft off Colombia’s western seaboard, resulting in two fatalities. Bogota denounced these attacks, cautioning that they could intensify tensions and jeopardize regional collaboration. President Gustavo Petro characterized the campaign as “an aggression against all of Latin America and the Caribbean,” asserting that Washington aimed to seize control of the region’s oil reserves.