The EU Drugs Strategy focuses on two important issues: stepping up national drug prevention and investigation and close international cooperation.
A Working Group has recently been set up on the platform of the EU Support Hub in Chisinau, to address systemic approaches to large-scale seizures of goods taken out of civilian use, including drugs.
The analysts’ group of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are currently developing an early warning mechanism according to EU MS, whereby the forensics of captured evidence can be done jointly with several states so as to reduce costs and manage evidence in a timely manner.
In another vein, the number of offences and drug parties discovered by the National Police and taken out of circulation has been steadily increasing over the last few years (by about 13%).
The data is relevant in the context of the latest European drug report released by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).
‘Drugs don’t only damage people’s health. They also damage our society. Criminals use the profits from drug trafficking to influence and power. Violence is growing, in scale and in brutality’ said Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs at the launch of the EMCDDA report.
The study shows, among others, that there is a significant increase in the production and consumption of synthetic drugs at European level. A record amount of cocaine was seized last year – more than 300 tonnes.
