The white mirage: What the declining amount of cocaine seized in western Europe doesn’t tell us

The volume of cocaine seized in north-western European ports has fallen significantly in the last two years, following a decade of steady increases. From 2023 to 2024, Rotterdam reported a roughly 40% decrease in seized cocaine, Antwerp recorded a fall of more than 60% and Germany – with Hamburg as the country’s main entry point – saw a decline of over half. This trend has continued in 2025. In recent years, these three major European ports had become the main gateway for cocaine into the continent. Can Europe now celebrate having turned the tide on the ‘white tsunami’?

The answer is, unfortunately, no. What can be observed from the declining amounts seized is criminal adaptation at its finest.

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