There are many things one can do in 120 seconds, say a prayer, have an espresso or check your Instagram account. You could also watch Europol’s new video series Law enforcement explained in 120 seconds. The five-clip series shows how serious and organised crime produces, traffics and distributes drugs; explains the negative consequences for our society; and sheds light on criminal activities in cocaine, heroin, synthetic drug and fentanyl trafficking.
Drugs make up the largest criminal market in the EU. More than one-third of the 5 000 criminal groups active in the EU are involved in the production, trafficking or distribution of various types of drugs. The drugs trade generates multi-billion-euro profits for the groups involved in this criminal activity.
The EU retail drug market is estimated to be worth at least €24 billion a year. The immense profits generated from the drugs trade fund various other criminal activities allowing organised crime groups to thrive and develop their criminal enterprises at the expense of the health, prosperity and security of EU citizens.
Europol supports Member States in the fight against illegal drugs with a team of experienced specialists and analysts based in Europol’s European Serious and Organised Crime Centre. They provide operational, analytical and coordinative support to investigating officers in the Member States. A large share of the information being sent to Europol from EU law enforcement authorities concerns drug-related investigations and operations.
In December this year, Europol will host the annual conference Drugs in Europe: a bold law enforcement response, where delegates will discuss the latest trends in illicit drug trafficking and will agree on bold law enforcement responses to protect the public from the threats posed by illicit drugs. Europol and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) will also publish this year their joint EU Drug Markets Report 2019, which illustrates the widespread impact of drug markets, how they are related to other criminal activities and how they have a serious impact on legitimate business and the wider economy.
Europol’s video series Law enforcement explained in 120 seconds is out now. Watch Europol’s experts and understand in two minutes how organised crimes groups work, how they try to destroy our society and how international law enforcement is teaming-up to dismantle drug cartels.
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