Brussels – There is an increasing link between drug trafficking and other crimes including terrorism, the European Union’s drugs monitoring agency warned on Tuesday in its annual report.
The warning comes in the aftermath of deadly suicide bombing attacks on Brussels last month, in which more than 30 people died.
The fight against terrorism was already high on the EU’s agenda, following attacks on Paris in November that claimed 130 lives.
The report said that organised crime groups involved in the drug market are diversifying their activities.
They are also engaging in other forms of criminality including terrorism and forming cross-border alliances, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) said in its report.
“Illicit drug production and trafficking remains one of the largest and most innovative criminal markets in Europe,” said Rob Wainwright, the Director of EU Police Agency Europol.
“As it grows more complex and becomes entwined with other forms of crime, and even terrorism, it represents a key threat to the internal security of the EU,”he added.
Terrorist organizations are using involvement in the drug trade to fund their activities, although it appears not to be their main source of funding, the report said.
“It appears that many of those involved in these activities, often recently radicalised young people, may have a history of low-level criminality.
“Including drug use or involvement in the drug market, and exploit their criminal links to conduct their terrorist activities in a range of ways,” the authors wrote.
The report also found that new internet technologies such as Bitcoin and other cyber currencies were creating new opportunities for online drug supply.
They said that legitimate transport infrastructures such as shipping containers were continually been exploited for the drugs trade.
Europeans spent an estimated minimum of 27.3 billion dollars on illicit drugs in 2015, the report said, making it one of the main profit-generating activities for organized criminals in Europe. (dpa/NAN)
