Belgium, Netherlands major cocaine hubs: Europol

THE HAGUE: Belgium and the Netherlands have become major hubs for cocaine trafficking into Europe, overtaking Spain as the primary smuggling route, the EU’s policing agency said on Tuesday.

Cashing in on increased cocaine supplies, notably from Colombia, criminal gangs are using the port cities of Rotterdam, Hamburg and especially Antwerp to ship in the drug to the Netherlands, from where it is distributed across Europe, Europol said. "The epicentre of the cocaine market in Europe has shifted northwards," said Europol, which produced a 27-page report with the UN’s Vienna-based drug and crime office (UNODC).