Cocaine Smuggling to Europe Shifts to the High Seas

Lisbon – 02.08.2026: Cocaine smuggling to Europe is increasingly shifting to sea routes away from major commercial ports. A report published by Franceinfo on Sunday describes how criminal networks make greater use of coastal regions in southern Europe during the summer. Portugal is considered an important gateway because shipments from Latin America can be landed on remote beaches or in small marinas.

Europol had already warned in January 2026 of an expansion in maritime smuggling methods. According to the European police agency, the networks rely on ship-to-ship transfers on the high seas, fast rigid-hulled inflatable boats, smaller non-commercial vessels and semi-submersibles. This allows them to bypass controls at major container ports and spread transportation across several crews and vehicles.

The route often runs from Latin America across the Atlantic. Larger mother ships initially take over the cargo far off the European coast. On the high seas, it is transferred to smaller, faster boats that can head for remote stretches of coastline in Portugal or Spain. Investigators believe this approach exploits divided responsibilities at sea and the difficulty of monitoring vast maritime areas.

The scale of the transports became apparent during a Europol-coordinated operation from 13 to 26 April 2026. Personnel from Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States monitored the eastern Atlantic between the Canary Islands and the Azores. They intercepted eight vessels, arrested 54 people and seized 11 tonnes of cocaine and 8.5 tonnes of hashish.

Investigators consider the sea area between the Canary Islands and the Azores to be an important corridor for transshipments. The great distance from the coast makes continuous monitoring difficult, while smaller boats can also change their route at short notice. According to Europol, the networks deliberately divide their shipments into several stages. If a crew is arrested or a cargo is seized, the damage to those behind the operation remains limited.

In January 2026, Portugal also intercepted a semi-submersible around 426 kilometres off the Azores. The navy, criminal police and air force were deployed for more than 86 hours. On board were 300 packages containing narcotics and four men from Latin America. Due to bad weather and its unstable construction, the vessel later sank.

The shift to maritime transit routes requires European authorities to conduct closer joint situation assessments, carry out operations far from the coast and exchange information more quickly. Europol lists the fight against cocaine trafficking as a priority of the EU security programme EMPACT for 2026 to 2029. The April operation alone removed 11 tonnes of cocaine from circulation.