In just one year

33.9 tons of cocaine seized in the port of Hamburg

The customs authorities present a cocaine find every now and then.

(Bild: AP)

The amount of cocaine seized in the Port of Hamburg has tripled in the past five years. While 9.5 tons of the drug were seized in 2019, the figure rose to 33.9 tons in the previous year. And this is apparently just the tip of the iceberg, as the amount of cocaine that goes undetected is likely to be considerably larger.

"A massive influx of cocaine from South American production and transit countries can be assumed, which is due to the continued strong growth of the sales market in Europe," Hamburg said. "As the third-largest seaport in Europe, the Port of Hamburg is becoming the focus of criminal groups."

Fighting drug-related crime
In order to counter the dangers posed by internationally organized drug crime at all levels, security authorities and the port industry joined forces last October to form a "Safe Port Alliance". At the same time, police, customs and the Federal Criminal Police Office are pursuing preventative approaches alongside repressive and operational-tactical measures in the EU-funded project "Infiltration of the North Sea Ports by Organized Crime Structures" (INOK).

To this end, Hamburg's Mayor Peter Tschentscher, Senator of the Interior Andy Grote (both SPD) and the port industry presented an awareness campaign for port workers just last week, which aims to highlight the danger of becoming involved in criminal activities through recruitment attempts by drug cartels. There is also a portal where anonymous tips can be submitted.

Germany focuses on cooperation
International cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and organized crime is also to be strengthened. On Tuesday, at the invitation of Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), the interior ministers from Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands will meet in Hamburg as part of the "Coalition of European countries against serious and organized crime".

Representatives of the European Union and other international bodies and organizations will also take part in the meeting at the Maritime Museum. According to the German Ministry of the Interior, the main topics will be the fight against drug trafficking and the security and resilience of ports.