EMCDDA, which is an establishment analyzes the rates of drug use by analyzing wastewater in Europe every year, took samples to measure the use of cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ectasy, ketamine and cannabis in 104 cities in March and April in 2022.
Accordingly, cocaine use was at a high level, especially in the cities of Belgium, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Compared to the rates in 2021, it was found that cocaine use increased in 38 cities in 2022. The city of Antwerp, in the Flemish region of Belgium, topped the list of cities with the highest traces of cocaine in wastewater.
AMSTERDAM RANKED SECOND
Antwerp was followed by cities such as Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Tarragona in Spain, Brussels in Belgium and Zurich in Switzerland. While the average daily amount of cocaine residue in wastewater in Antwerp was 2 thousand 381 milligrams, it was measured as 1161 in Tarragona, Spain, 1142 in Amsterdam, 985 in Brussels, and 931 in Zurich. In January, Belgium and the Netherlands seized a total of 160 tons of cocaine, approximately 110 tons in Antwerp and around 50 tons in Rotterdam, as a result of their cooperation in the fight against international drug trafficking. Cocaine seized at the port of Antwerp this year was the highest ever, after 89.5 tonnes in 2021.
