South America

Western Balkan Cocaine Trade Expands in South America

Cocaine

Western Balkan cocaine trade networks have become dominant players in South America, reshaping the global narcotics market. A new report reveals how these groups have evolved from war-torn backgrounds into powerful criminal syndicates. With cash-based deals, deep-rooted corruption, and strategic alliances, they now rival traditional cartels. This transformation poses serious challenges to both European and South American authorities, who are struggling to dismantle these decentralised, highly adaptive organisations.

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Narco-Subs in Europe: Cocaine Smuggling Across the Atlantic

Cocaine

Cocaine-laden narco-subs are now surfacing in European waters, confirming a once-dismissed smuggling route from South America to Spain. In 2019, Spain seized its first semi-submersible off Galicia’s coast—3,000kg of cocaine aboard. Since then, trafficking tactics have grown bolder, exploiting Spain’s vulnerable coastline. As drug cartels tighten their grip, authorities race to adapt to this underwater threat. Meanwhile, families like Santiago De Dios’s are left with heartbreak and unanswered questions in a rising tide of violence and corruption.

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