A surge in the supply of pure cocaine to Europe has led to a rise in drug-related murders as new criminal gangs muscle into a market previously dominated by the mafia, the EU drugs agency has said.
The extra output from Latin America, especially by the biggest producer, Colombia has led to growing numbers of gangs including from Morocco and the Balkans setting up their own smuggling lines straight from producers.
This has seen an "Uberisation" of the cocaine trade characterised by faster, anytime-anywhere delivery, a report by the Lisbon-based agency said on Thursday, which has also kept prices lower.
"The fragmentation of the cocaine trade in Europe appears to have resulted in increased competition among crime gangs for national and cross-border territories in cocaine supply and retail," the report said. "One of the consequences has been an increase in violence and drug-related homicides."
The emergence of more gangs has led to new marketing and transport methods, such as by couriers who dispatch the cocaine to consumers who contact special, dedicated call centres.
