The vast machinery of global trade relies heavily on seaborne commerce, with over 90% of goods transported by sea. At the heart of this system lie global port hubs, like Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Hamburg, that have become indispensable to international supply chains because of their efficiency and innovation.[1]
However, Europe’s leading container ports are now at the frontline of a high-stakes struggle between legitimate trade and transnational organized crime. The highly profitable European drug market attracts criminal syndicates from across the world who have increasingly embedded themselves in the ports to ensure their illegal products make it past the continent’s first point of entry.
While European authorities have made significant strides in deploying technology, intelligence-sharing, and multi-agency coordination, they continue to face an uphill battle. Police often don’t have the resources that cartels have, and they must overcome the logistical opacity of container shipping and the sheer size of the ports.
Victims of Their Own Success: Criminals Exploit Size and Efficiency of Ports
Europe is a prime destination for drug traffickers because of the high profitability it offers. Cocaine sourced from Colombia or Brazil, heroin from Afghanistan via the Balkan route, and synthetic drugs produced in clandestine European labs are all part of a flourishing, multi-billion-euro illicit industry. Unlike markets in North America, European consumers often pay a premium for narcotics due to high demand, lower availability, and the influence of organized distribution networks.[2]
Drug syndicates, both foreign and domestic, exploit these market conditions aggressively. Colombian and Mexican cartels collaborate with European criminal organizations, including the Italian Mafia, Dutch-Turkish groups, and Balkan networks. Once narcotics reach European shores, local criminal syndicates take over for further distribution, often through elaborate road, rail, and air logistics chains, making full use of Europe’s integrated transport infrastructure.[3]
Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Antwerp are among the busiest and most advanced ports in the world. Rotterdam alone handles over 14 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) annually. Antwerp and Hamburg similarly process millions of containers, each carrying thousands of products ranging from electronics and textiles to foodstuffs and industrial materials. The sheer volume of cargo and the reliance on containerization create a perfect storm for illicit concealment.[4]
Criminal networks capitalize on these conditions by embedding narcotics within legitimate shipments, often relying on the statistical reality that less than 2–5% of containers are subjected to physical inspection.[5] The logic is simple: even if several containers are seized, the majority of the drugs are likely to pass undetected. These operations are not haphazard, they rely on logistical precision, forged documentation, and insider access to port systems and customs schedules.
The Sophisticated Smuggler: How the Criminals Avoid Detection
Containers themselves, the backbone of modern global trade, are simultaneously critical facilitators of drug smuggling. Their standardized nature and the immense volume transported daily make them ideal hiding places. Criminal organizations have become increasingly sophisticated in their concealment techniques. Beyond simply placing drugs within legitimate cargo, they utilize specially modified containers with hidden compartments, false walls, or floors. Techniques such as double or triple lining of containers and the use of chemical masking agents to evade detection by sniffer dogs and technological scanners are also commonly employed, demonstrating a constant evolution in smuggling methodologies.[6]
Moreover, traffickers have diversified their techniques beyond traditional port facilities. Offshore offloading, where narcotics are transferred at sea from large container ships to smaller vessels, has become increasingly common. This allows traffickers to bypass port surveillance entirely, offloading contraband to fishing boats or fast launches that bring the drugs ashore under the radar of law enforcement.[7]
As enforcement tightens at Europe’s largest ports, traffickers adapt by seeking out alternative entry points. Smaller ports with fewer resources and lower visibility, such as those in France, Spain, or the Adriatic region are increasingly being targeted as secondary smuggling hubs. Moreover, non-maritime modes of transport, including air freight and rail, are being used to complement sea-based trafficking, particularly for synthetic drugs produced within Europe itself.
The port-crime nexus thrives on systemic and human vulnerabilities. Perhaps the most dangerous is corruption within port operations. Investigations in Rotterdam and Antwerp have exposed criminal infiltration of logistics companies, shipping lines, and dockworker unions. So-called "cleaners", corrupted insiders who retrieve or divert containers, can earn up to €100,000 per operation. With insider access to routing data and inspection schedules, traffickers gain crucial advantages.[8]
In Hamburg and Rotterdam, the "rip-on/rip-off" method is increasingly common: traffickers break into containers mid-transit to insert drugs and remove them before official checks. This tactic requires coordination across multiple points of the supply chain and is often facilitated by corrupted port workers or logistical staff.[9]
The digitalization of port systems has also introduced new risks. Automated tracking systems, decentralized databases, and reliance on electronic customs clearance have created exploitable gaps. Criminals have been able to intercept or redirect containers by manipulating shipping data. Moreover, encrypted messaging platforms like Sky ECC and EncroChat enabled global coordination of smuggling operations until major European law enforcement agencies successfully infiltrated them between 2021 and 2023. These breaches revealed extensive transnational networks and demonstrated the limits of relying solely on traditional surveillance techniques.[10]
To Stem the Tide, Law Enforcement Turns to Tech
Despite the deployment of scanning technologies, drug-detection dogs, and intelligence-driven risk profiling, European customs and port authorities are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of cargo. Container ports like Rotterdam and Antwerp handle tens of thousands of containers daily. Resource constraints, manpower, technology, and time, limit the number of containers that can be inspected with sufficient rigor. Traffickers understand this gap and exploit it systematically, shipping large quantities with the knowledge that a sizable proportion will pass through unnoticed.
While some high-volume seizures, such as the 60+ tons of cocaine intercepted in Rotterdam in 2023, make headlines, these represent only a fraction of what is believed to arrive undetected. The “cat-and-mouse” dynamic between law enforcement and criminal organizations continues, with each side evolving in response to the other’s innovations.
Faced with these multifaceted threats, European authorities have initiated both tactical crackdowns and structural reforms. In Rotterdam, the expansion of the HARC team (Hit and Run Cargo), a joint task force including customs, police, and prosecutors, has enhanced high-risk inspections and targeted criminal networks using advanced intelligence profiling.[11]
Technological upgrades are also being pursued. AI-powered container scanning and anomaly detection systems are being piloted to flag suspicious patterns based on cargo type, origin, shipping history, and operator behavior. These tools are designed to augment, not replace, human inspectors by prioritizing high-risk shipments for manual inspection.[12]
At the supranational level, Europol, INTERPOL, and regional customs agencies have intensified cross-border collaboration, with shared databases and joint operations. A landmark example is the 2024 Rotterdam-Antwerp operation that led to the dismantling of a major trafficking ring linked to Colombian and Albanian syndicates.[13]
Despite these efforts, challenges persist. Legal limitations on data sharing, uneven capabilities across ports, and jurisdictional fragmentation hinder comprehensive responses. Moreover, as enforcement improves in high-profile hubs like Rotterdam, traffickers shift to alternative or under-monitored ports, illustrating the need for a pan-European maritime security strategy.
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in the INSIGHTS publication series are those of the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Rabdan Security & Defense Institute, its affiliated organizations, or any government entity. The content published is intended for informational purposes and reflects the personal perspectives of the authors on various security and defence-related topics.
[1] International Chamber of Shipping, ‘Shipping and World Trade: World Seaborne Trade’, Shipping and World Trade: World Seaborne Trade | International Chamber of Shipping
[2] Wells, Ione ‘Tracking the world's major cocaine route to Europe - and why it's growing’, April 9, 2025, BBC, Tracking the world’s major cocaine route to Europe - and why it’s growing
[3] TT Club, ‘Freight industry must resist the tidal wave of drug smuggling’, May 30, 2023, Press release | Freight industry must resist the tidal wave of drug smuggling - TT Club
[4] The Brussels Time, ‘Antwerp surpasses Rotterdam for the first time in container throughput’, April 22, 2025, Antwerp surpasses Rotterdam for the first time in container throughput
[5] Europol, ‘CRIMINAL NETWORKS IN EU PORTS Risks and challenges for law enforcement’, March 30, 2023, Europol_Joint-report_Criminal networks in EU ports_Public_version.pdf
[6] Ramirez, Maria Fernanda ‘Container Shipping: Cocaine Hide and Seek’, February 8, 2021, insightcrime.org, Container Shipping: Cocaine Hide and Seek
[7] Xavier, Will ‘US Coast Guard offloads more than $14m in illicit drugs interdicted in Caribbean Sea’, May 5, 2025, Baird Maritime, US Coast Guard offloads more than $14m in illicit drugs interdicted in Caribbean Sea
[8] Zürcher, Emma et al, ‘Drug-related corruption at Schiphol Airport and the Port of Rotterdam’, RAND Europe, 2024, Microsoft Word - RAND_RR-A2870-1_English summary.docx
[9] European Drug Agency (EUDA), ‘Cocaine trafficking to Europe’, 31 May, 2016, Cocaine trafficking to Europe | www.euda.europa.eu
[10] Europol, ‘Encrypted app intelligence exposes sprawling criminal networks across Europe’, Encrypted app intelligence exposes sprawling criminal networks across Europe | Europol
[11] COMCEC, ‘Improving the Border Agency Cooperation Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade,’ September 2016, 8-TRD-AR.pdf
[12] Hello Future, ‘Contraband: AI efficiently detects anomalies in shipping containers’, February 18, 2025, Contraband: AI efficiently detects anomalies in shipping containers – Hello Future
[13] Europol, ‘29 money-laundering drug traffickers taken down’, 29 money-laundering drug traffickers taken down | Europol
