How Venezuelan gangs and African jihadists are flooding Europe with cocaine

In recent years, Colombia has dramatically increased cocaine production, and traditional smuggling routes have become overloaded. According to law enforcement officials, this has forced networks to look for new "windows" — and Venezuela has proven to be the most convenient.

Smugglers are exploiting the country's strategic location, its long coastline, and the ineffectiveness of its security agencies. In fact, there are no coca plantations or large final processing laboratories in Venezuela.

Colombian smugglers bring cocaine into the country by land, and from there it is transported to Africa by light aircraft, fishing boats, semi-submersible vessels, and cargo ships. According to investigators, corrupt military personnel are also involved in the schemes.

African Stage

When the cargo arrives in West Africa, it falls under the influence of networks linked to armed Islamist groups. In northern Mali, according to former and current rebel leaders, smugglers cooperate with groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda: they escort convoys, charge "tolls," and effectively guard the route through the Sahel.

Former US military intelligence officer Jesus Ramera explains:

“The cocaine of the 1980s is not the same as what we see today. There are direct links to terrorist organizations to support their activities.”

The route then goes through the Sahara to Algeria, Morocco, Libya. According to a 2024 UN report, in Libya, a pro-Russian group charges for the transit of cocaine from Niger to Egypt. From there, the goods enter Southern Europe via the Mediterranean Sea.

Europe — The Main Market

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, cocaine seizures in Europe now exceed those in North America. This is a result of both increased supply and high demand.

InSight Crime expert Jeremy McDermott notes:

“Volumes have grown so much that the main problem for traditional networks is how to move them at all.”

Other experts note that, besides Venezuela, large quantities of cocaine also come from Brazil, Guyana, and other countries.

The route through Venezuela has already led to a series of record seizures. In September of last year, two private Gulfstream jets with cocaine took off from a makeshift airstrip in Apure state on the border with Colombia. One of them was detained in Guinea-Bissau with 2.6 tons of cocaine — a record for a country known as a drug hub. The second reached Burkina Faso, where Islamist militants operate.

Western officials say that at least one drug flight per week flies from Venezuela to West Africa. To conceal routes, pilots turn off transponders, and dispatchers are bribed to turn off tracking systems.

In addition to air channels, sea routes also operate. Thanks to corruption in ports and on the coast, vessels regularly depart from Venezuela heading to Portugal, Spain, and further into Europe.

In December 2024, Spain seized 3.3 tons of cocaine on a Venezuelan fishing vessel near the Canary Islands. Earlier, Irish authorities intercepted the vessel MV Matthew with 2.2 tons of cocaine on board. This was the largest drug bust in the country's history. The investigation believes that the cargo was loaded in waters near Venezuela.

Colombian dealers also use semi-submersible vessels, which depart from Venezuela towards Spain. In November, Portuguese police detained one of these vessels with 1.7 tons of cocaine. There was a Venezuelan crew on board.

Anti-drug officials are reporting an increasing number of signs of Venezuela's involvement in the European drug trade. Spanish police recently arrested 13 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which was the first such case in Europe.

Combating Trafficking

The US administration has increased pressure on Venezuelan authorities, accusing the Nicolas Maduro regime of involvement in drug trafficking — Maduro denies this. Washington claims that it is striking vessels that allegedly carry drugs, including from Venezuela. Secretary of State Marco Rubio justifies the operations by saying that Venezuela is a transit hub, and states that Europeans should not criticize these actions, but be grateful for them.

European law enforcement agencies have increased cooperation with African countries, but supplies are growing faster. In the Sahel, the situation has been complicated by a series of military coups, after which cooperation with the West partially collapsed.

Against this backdrop, cocaine flows through Venezuela and West Africa continue to grow. According to UN drug researchers, along with supplies, consumption is also growing: cocaine is increasingly becoming widespread not only in America and Western Europe, but also in regions where it was previously marginal — from Australia to Eastern Europe.

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