Estimated annual spending on illicit drugs reaches 24 bln euros in Europe: report
Xinhua, April 5, 2016 Adjust font size:
A latest report estimated that Europeans spend at least 24 billion euros (27 billion U.S. dollars) on illicit drugs each year.
This made it one of the main profit-generating activities for organized criminals in Europe, said the 2016 European Union (EU) Drug Markets Report, published by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and Europol on Tuesday.
The report provided a state-of-the-art analysis of the EU illicit drug market, covering the trends along the supply chain from production and trafficking to marketing, distribution and consumption.
It also analyzed the considerable costs of these markets for society including their impact on businesses, government institutions, neighborhoods, families, individuals and the environment.
The report, accompanied by a strategic overview, combined the EMCDDA's drug monitoring and analytical skills with Europol's operational intelligence on trends in organized crime.
The report also showed that, while traditional trafficking routes persist, diversification continues.
It highlighted how coordinated action at the EU level can make a difference in tackling the illicit drugs trade, and outlined a comprehensive range of recommendations and action points in key areas to inform future policies and initiatives. Endit