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Bandar Abbas buying Heroin

These datasets underpin the analysis presented in the agency's work. Most data may be viewed interactively on screen and downloaded in Excel format. All countries. Topics A-Z. The content in this section is aimed at anyone involved in planning, implementing or making decisions about health and social responses. Best practice. We have developed a systemic approach that brings together the human networks, processes and scientific tools necessary for collecting, analysing and reporting on the many aspects of the European drugs phenomenon. Explore our wide range of publications, videos and infographics on the drugs problem and how Europe is responding to it. All publications. More events. More news. We are your source of drug-related expertise in Europe. We prepare and share independent, scientifically validated knowledge, alerts and recommendations. About the EUDA. Key findings and threat assessment. Global context. Trafficking and supply. Criminal networks. Prices, purities and offences. Retail markets. Actions to address current threats and increase preparedness. Heroin is obtained from morphine, an alkaloid that occurs naturally in opium. The process by which morphine and heroin are produced from opium harvested from poppies comprises six main steps see Figure Overview of heroin production :. Morphine, and therefore heroin, may also be produced by a synthetic route without the use of opium. Although these approaches have garnered much academic interest over the years, they are unlikely to be used for illicit heroin production, given the comparatively low yields and the large number of steps required Zerell, This was the sixth consecutive year in which production in the country exceeded 6 tonnes UNODC, , a. These figures represent opium cultivation in Afghanistan in the first cultivation season following the Taliban takeover in August 1 and the announced ban shortly before the opium harvest began on poppy cultivation and other drugs in April see Section Key developments in the opiate trade in Afghanistan. The source data for this graphic is available in the source table on this page. The European heroin market is closely bound to the fate of the Afghan opium market as it is almost exclusively supplied with heroin from Afghanistan, via Turkish, Iranian and Pakistani organised crime networks see Section Criminal networks operating in the heroin market. With widespread socioeconomic insecurity, it has become apparent that the production of opiates, a major illicit economic activity in Afghanistan, could be subject to significant change. In April , the Taliban announced a ban on opium poppy cultivation, raising the question of the implications this will have for Europe. Data for shows that the prices of opium have continued to rise to an average of USD per kilogram, nearly five times greater than the average price two years prior to the Taliban takeover UNODC, c. The reduction in the area under opium cultivation includes an estimated reduction of cultivation in Helmand, the main poppy cultivating province in Afghanistan, from more than hectares in to less than 1 hectares in Mansfield, The significant drop in , if sustained beyond , would have major implications for the European drug market, highlighting the importance of intensifying monitoring of opium cultivation in Afghanistan see Box Challenges and opportunities in estimating opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan. The long-term impact of the ban on opium cultivation is difficult to predict for a number of reasons. Importantly, the Taliban is deeply fragmented, likened to a loose conglomerate of members chasing frequently conflicting agendas and positions for power Sharifi, As such, it is unclear whether and how they will continue to enforce the ban, particularly in the context of frozen international aid programmes and the economic hardship faced by farmers in the country, which may make sustaining the ban politically difficult domestically. How the European heroin market will be affected by the new political situation in Afghanistan is uncertain. The existence of stocks held by individuals along the opiate production chain in Afghanistan and the trafficking chain to Europe, and that it takes at least 12 months before the opium harvest appears on the European retail market as heroin, makes it too early to predict the impact on drug availability in Europe. At the moment there are no signals of heroin shortages on the European market. If opiate production continues at the present low level, the market may take time to adapt and alternative supply sources may not be immediately accessible. It should be noted, however, that criminal networks are highly flexible. Experience with previous periods of reduced supply suggests that this can lead to changes in patterns of drug trafficking and use. For instance, there are historical examples of shortages in heroin supply to the European market where the use of fentanyl increased to fill the gap Caulkins et al. In this context, the potential consequences of sustained disruption of the supply of heroin to Europe would be increased rates of polysubstance use among heroin users or an increase in the European market for synthetic opioids, including fentanyl and its derivatives, new synthetic opioids and prescription opioid medicines. While it is possible to estimate the global production of heroin, a number of limitations and data gaps mean that it is difficult to provide accurate estimates. It is also difficult to determine the exact locations where the drug is produced. Opium production can be more accurately quantified and located because poppies are grown in specific geographic regions and can be identified through satellite imagery coupled with knowledge of average opium yield per hectare. The average opium yield can, in turn, be used to estimate potential heroin production. While the estimates show the potential amount of heroin that could have been manufactured from the opium produced each year, a number of factors and information gaps may have a significant impact on these estimates. Historically, Afghanistan is the country that has reported the largest numbers of dismantled heroin production facilities, indicating that large quantities of opium are processed into heroin in the country UNODC, a. It should be noted that Afghanistan ceased reporting on the dismantling of heroin production facilities in , when 41 facilities were seized. Following a period of declining morphine seizures starting in , Afghanistan seized 47 tonnes in , the largest quantity in the world, and seizures increased further to 63 tonnes in Large opium consumer markets exist in Iran and to some extent in Pakistan. However, the very large seizures of opium and morphine in these countries indicate that some of these products may be further processed into heroin there or further along the trafficking chain see Box Seizures of opium, morphine and heroin in Iran and Pakistan. Notably, in , Europol reported that both processing and production of heroin take place in Pakistan and Iran, in addition to Afghanistan Europol, a. However, the scale of production in these countries remains unknown, and neither country has reported dismantling heroin production facilities. Acetic anhydride is the main drug precursor used in the processing of morphine into heroin and is subject to international control in accordance with the UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances. Acetic anhydride is, however, also used in a broad range of legitimate industries, and these have grown considerably since the precursor was placed under international control. This includes use for both industrial purposes and consumer goods such as plastics, dyes and medicines. Coupled with the fact that relatively small amounts of acetic anhydride are required for illicit heroin production, these issues make preventing its diversion for illicit heroin production a challenging task. Globally, almost 1. To put these global figures into context, according to UNODC estimates, the opium harvested in in Afghanistan would potentially require between and litres of acetic anhydride for conversion into between and tonnes of heroin. This represents roughly 0. Seizures of acetic anhydride reported to the International Narcotics Control Board INCB have been declining substantially since , a trend that continued in According to the INCB, possible reasons for this significant decrease might include a decline in the number of diversion attempts and in the subsequent trafficking of the substance, compared with the peak period of to ; the emergence of trafficking in acetyl chloride, a potential substitute for acetic anhydride that is not yet under international control see Box Acetyl chloride seizures ; and a shift to alternative trafficking routes INCB, a, Global seizures of acetic anhydride between and averaged litres per year or approximately tonnes whereas the amount seized globally in the years to averaged litres per year, or approximately tonnes. In , 58 litres or approximately 62 tonnes was seized worldwide. At European level, this was a slight increase from the previous year, when 5 litres was seized, but a significant drop from , when five European countries reported a total of over 20 litres seized, in addition to 7 litres from stopped shipments in three countries see Figures Acetic anhydride: quantity seized and quantity in stopped shipments, EU, and Acetic anhydride: number of seizures and number of stopped shipments, EU, In the Netherlands, the 5 litres seized across two incidents in represented a sixfold increase from the litres seized in In one of these cases, 2 litres of acetic anhydride was seized in a warehouse together with litres of glacial acetic acid, 60 kilograms of sodium carbonate and a large quantity of heroin. The circumstances of this case pointed to the illicit manufacture of heroin in the country. Overall in , 10 sites believed to be associated with illicit heroin manufacture were identified and dismantled in the Netherlands. In recent years, illicit heroin laboratories have also been identified in other EU Member States see Section Opiate production in Europe: a relativtely rare occurence. Source: EU drug precursors database. Information available to Europol suggests that criminal networks active in the Netherlands orchestrate the acquisition and smuggling of acetic anhydride from the EU to heroin producing countries. Criminal networks take advantage of the lack of strict controls on consignments leaving the EU to smuggle acetic anhydride. In addition, limited resources and capabilities to thoroughly check cargo in transit and receiving countries may encourage criminals to smuggle the precursor along particular routes. Despite the continued cultivation of opium poppies in Afghanistan, seizures of acetic anhydride in the country have significantly declined since their peak in , when 37 litres was seized. However, these decreasing amounts do not reflect a diminished need for the precursor in the illicit manufacture of heroin. This is further corroborated by seizures of large amounts of acetic anhydride elsewhere, including in Europe and West Asia, believed to be destined for Afghanistan. Seizures of acetic anhydride have also continued to be made in countries neighbouring Afghanistan, such as Iran and Pakistan, and in the UAE. In , Iran reported seizing a shipment of 13 litres of acetic anhydride, misdeclared as paint, in the seaport of Bandar Abbas. In , Pakistan reported three seizures of acetic anhydride amounting to 5 litres. The largest of these took place in the port of Karachi and involved 2 litres, allegedly originating from China INCB, b. Production of heroin is uncommon in Europe, although the final step of the production process — the acetylation of morphine into heroin — has been reported in Germany, the Netherlands and France. Most of the facilities associated with illicit heroin production reported in the EU between and were sites for processing, i. At cutting and packaging facilities, heroin is adulterated to increase the volume of the drug and packaged for onward distribution. For example, Dutch criminal groups appear to specialise in the preparation of heroin cutting mixtures for these types of facilities typically using caffeine and paracetamol see Section Heroin adulteration and Box Dutch criminal networks specialise in heroin cutting mixtures. Importantly, a facility associated with heroin production may be involved in several of these activities simultaneously see Table Facilities associated with heroin production in Europe. At least 15 sites associated with illicit heroin production were dismantled in the EU between and Ten of those sites were dismantled in the Netherlands in , clustered around Alkmaar, The Hague and Rotterdam, with confirmed heroin production at three of the sites. Preliminary data related to two laboratories dismantled in The Hague region indicate that heroin production or processing continued in the Netherlands in Politie, While there is limited information about the heroin production facilities identified in the EU, including their production capacities and the source of the morphine used in the process, the evidence indicates that heroin production in the EU persists, albeit at a low level, and is made possible by the ease with which acetic anhydride can be diverted from legitimate suppliers in Europe. Heroin production or processing has also been noted in countries bordering the EU. In , Kosovo 2 reported dismantling two facilities set up for the processing and packaging of heroin. Seizures of morphine, possibly intended for processing into heroin, have also been noted in several EU countries. In , Spain reported the seizure of 3. In addition, seizures of opium have been noted in several EU countries. In , Bulgaria reported seizing 27 kilograms of opium, while Spain and Sweden reported seizing The opium available in Europe could be used for heroin production or by individual consumers where demand exists. In addition to the production of heroin from imported morphine or opium, since Czechia has reported dismantling three small-scale heroin production facilities that were using poppy straw or morphine extracted from medicines. The illicit production of all plant-based and synthetic drugs entails a range of environmental harms. With regard to heroin, most of the environmental impacts and harms relate to the cultivation of opium poppies that takes place outside the EU. Field preparation requires agricultural inputs, including pesticides and irrigation, leading to energy and land use, to water, soil and air pollution, and to emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds UNODC, a. The dumping of waste materials from production threatens fragile ecosystems, and the extensive cultivation of these crops leads to a range of environmental harms, including soil erosion. Specifically, in Afghanistan, the use of pesticides and of solar- or fuel-powered irrigation methods has led to soil depletion and reduced groundwater levels Mansfield, In the EU, the identification of laboratories associated with heroin production, albeit in small numbers, indicates more direct damage pathways in terms of the dumping of toxic waste. From to , at least 15 sites associated with the production of heroin were identified and dismantled see Section Opiate production in Europe: a relatively rare occurrence. While the number of reported dumping sites related to heroin production is low compared to the number of dumping sites related to synthetic drug production, the use of precursors, water and electricity may cause direct harms to the environment in the EU. The market for synthetic opioids has been growing in Europe, and it appears that most illegally produced synthetic opioids distributed in the EU originate from non-EU countries. Depending on the destination country and the mode of distribution, the three main source countries for synthetic opioids available on the European drug market are believed to be China, India and, to a lesser extent, Russia. Some production of synthetic opioids, including new synthetic opioids, may occasionally occur in the EU, although currently this would appear to be marginal compared with the manufacturing of other illicit drugs. Laboratories carrying out the full production cycle of synthetic opioids are rarely found, and there does not appear to be any widespread or sustained illicit production of these substances. However, because these substances are very potent often orders of magnitude greater than morphine , even a small illicit laboratory could produce sufficient material to satisfy national or even EU demand. France and Estonia each reported dismantling a small-scale laboratory for the production of fentanyl in and , respectively UNODC, c. In May , the Latvian police seized a large quantity of fentanyl approximately 5 kilograms together with fentanyl precursors, which suggests that fentanyl production might have taken place in the country Valsts policija, Overall, with a few possible exceptions in the Baltic countries and in countries bordering the EU, there is no strong evidence of significant fentanyl production currently occurring elsewhere in the EU. Nonetheless, this situation may change rapidly should market conditions become favourable in the future see Box Factors that could increase the threat of synthetic opioid production in Europe. While no fentanyl production sites have been identified in the Netherlands, seizures of fentanyl have been reported there Openbaar Ministerie, , a. Furthermore, in , the National Police of the Netherlands reported the seizure of chemicals used in the production of fentanyl, along with the final product, indicating that fentanyl production may take place in the country see Box Signals of possible fentanyl production in the Netherlands. Cutting and packaging facilities for synthetic opioids are more commonly detected in the EU than laboratories producing these substances. However, reporting rarely differentiates between the two. In , Latvia reported detecting and dismantling one small-scale site for the manufacture or packaging of the benzimidazole isotonitazene UNODC, c. The illicit production of methadone is also known to take place in the northeast of Europe. For example, a small-scale illicit laboratory producing methadone using precursors diverted from the legal market was dismantled in Latvia in Ukraine reported dismantling three medium-scale methadone production laboratories in and two medium- and one small-scale laboratories in UNODC, c. This estimate considers only the main season, as the second harvest is marginal in comparison, based on the evidence available UNODC, b. Consult the list of references used in this module. Homepage Quick links Quick links. GO Results hosted on duckduckgo. Main navigation Data Open related submenu Data. Latest data Prevalence of drug use Drug-induced deaths Infectious diseases Problem drug use Treatment demand Seizures of drugs Price, purity and potency. Drug use and prison Drug law offences Health and social responses Drug checking Hospital emergencies data Syringe residues data Wastewater analysis Data catalogue. Selected topics Alternatives to coercive sanctions Cannabis Cannabis policy Cocaine Darknet markets Drug checking Drug consumption facilities Drug markets Drug-related deaths Drug-related infectious diseases. Recently published Findings from a scoping literature…. Penalties at a glance. Frequently asked questions FAQ : drug…. FAQ: therapeutic use of psychedelic…. Viral hepatitis elimination barometer…. EU Drug Market: New psychoactive…. EU Drug Market: Drivers and facilitators. Statistical Bulletin home. Quick links Search news Subscribe newsletter for recent news Subscribe to news releases. This make take up to a minute. Once the PDF is ready it will appear in this tab. Sorry, the download of the PDF failed. Table of contents Search within the book. Introduction Introduction Key findings and threat assessment Key findings and threat assessment Global context Global context Production Production Trafficking and supply Trafficking and supply Criminal networks Criminal networks Prices, purities and offences Prices, purities and offences Retail markets Retail markets Actions to address current threats and increase preparedness Actions to address current threats and increase preparedness. Search within the book Operator Any match. Exact term match only. Main subject. Target audience. Publication type. EU Drug Market: Heroin and other opioids — main page. On this page.

India raises Afghan heroin route via Iran ports in talks

Bandar Abbas buying Heroin

These datasets underpin the analysis presented in the agency's work. Most data may be viewed interactively on screen and downloaded in Excel format. All countries. Topics A-Z. The content in this section is aimed at anyone involved in planning, implementing or making decisions about health and social responses. Best practice. We have developed a systemic approach that brings together the human networks, processes and scientific tools necessary for collecting, analysing and reporting on the many aspects of the European drugs phenomenon. Explore our wide range of publications, videos and infographics on the drugs problem and how Europe is responding to it. All publications. More events. More news. We are your source of drug-related expertise in Europe. We prepare and share independent, scientifically validated knowledge, alerts and recommendations. About the EUDA. Key findings and threat assessment. Global context. Trafficking and supply. Criminal networks. Prices, purities and offences. Retail markets. Actions to address current threats and increase preparedness. However, this decline is registered from a relatively high baseline, as in the number of seizures reported in the EU was at its highest level recorded 31 The number of seizures remained largely stable until around 28 , gradually declining thereafter and reaching 18 in This decline in the number of seizures may be due to a number of factors, one of which is a deprioritisation of law enforcement actions against retail-level interdiction. In , there was a stable number of heroin seizures but a considerable drop in the quantities seized, reflecting a temporary reduction in trafficking and a reprioritisation of law enforcement activities during the COVID crisis. Despite the marked decline in the number of seizures between and , the quantities of heroin seized in the EU more than doubled in this period from 4. This indicates that large quantities of heroin are trafficked in individual shipments and reflects a reprioritisation of wholesale-level rather than retail-level interdiction. Over 9. Furthermore, a record quantity of The source data for this graphic is available in the source table on this page. This suggests that large quantities of the drug are still reaching consumer markets. Historically, the trafficking of heroin to the EU from Afghanistan and neighbouring countries — Iran and Pakistan in particular — has been concentrated along a few established routes. However, the intensity of use of particular routes has varied over time and the combinations of routes used by traffickers appears to be increasing. This is driven by a range of factors, such as geopolitical, social and economic conditions, including the level of perceived or actual risk of interdiction along the routes, the volume of migration flows, the state of the transportation infrastructure, the level of corruption vulnerability and market size. Four routes are commonly documented for heroin trafficking from Afghanistan to Europe see Figure Indicative heroin trafficking routes :. Since late , two major political and security changes have occurred that have implications for the production and trafficking of opiates to Europe. The collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August and the subsequent ban on opium cultivation announced in April may significantly influence the production of opiates in Afghanistan and, by extension, the availability of heroin on the EU market see Section Key developments in the opiate trade in Afghanistan. On this route, heroin usually enters the EU at land border crossing points in Bulgaria or Greece. This is an established corridor for the trafficking of heroin to the EU and of acetic anhydride in the opposite direction see Section Acetic anhydride: the key chemical used for the production of heroin. Preliminary data for , however, indicate a sharp drop to 7. A proportion of the heroin smuggled along the southern and central branches may be diverted for local consumption or temporarily stored in warehouses in the Western Balkans region, before being transported to the EU markets EMCDDA, a. As a gateway to the EU, Bulgaria is particularly important for this trafficking route. Until recently, law enforcement authorities have regularly reported sizeable amounts of heroin at border crossing points, particularly at the Kapitan Andreevo crossing National Customs Agency of the Republic of Bulgaria, a,b, a,b, b-d. In , the National Customs Agency in Bulgaria reported 10 seizures amounting to 1 kilograms. In addition to using the established land entry points to the EU, trafficking groups appear to be increasingly transporting heroin to Turkish ports on the Mediterranean Sea, where ferries and cargo vessels carry the consignments onward to EU ports in Croatia, Italy and Slovenia. The apparent reasons for the shift to trafficking via maritime transportation include a lower perceived risk and the increased cost-effectiveness of this modus operandi, particularly for large shipments. Exploiting this existing intramodal shipping infrastructure allows traffickers to smuggle larger quantities of heroin in single shipments than they could in the historical modus operandi of moving smaller consignments through concealment in vehicles on other land routes. This apparent recent shift in trafficking also increases the complexity of monitoring and disrupting illicit heroin flows to the EU. Over the past decade, the importance of the Southern route for the EU heroin market has grown. This can be seen in the large quantities of heroin departing from ports on the Iranian or Pakistani sides of the Makran Coast, such as Chabahar and Bandar Abbas Iran and Gwadar Pakistan. These heroin consignments are either transported by traditional sailing vessels dhows or, increasingly, concealed in maritime containers from commercial ports. Overall, a range of modi operandi and transhipment points are combined on the Southern route to smuggle heroin to Europe. The growing importance of the Southern route is driven by several factors. First, increased use of maritime containers allows more efficient transportation of large quantities of heroin. The main commercial maritime routes from east to west are exploited for these purposes. In addition, intensified trafficking along the Southern route may be due to the perception or reality of stricter border controls on the Balkan route. The Netherlands continues to be a hub for the consolidation and distribution of heroin for EU consumer markets, including for maritime heroin consignments trafficked along the Southern route see Section Heroin trafficking within the EU. Similar to other drugs, heroin shipments are stored in distribution and wholesale centres in the Netherlands before being broken down and smuggled to criminal networks that supply other EU Member States and the United Kingdom see Box Transhipment of heroin in containerised shipments to the United Kingdom. Heroin may be shipped to the EU using the various branches of the Southern route, all departing from Iran or Pakistan. The first branch of the Southern route appears to have seen increased activity since , facilitating containerised trafficking of large consignments of heroin to the EU. This can be seen in a number of large heroin seizures shipped in maritime containers, originating from ports in Iran and Pakistan and bound for the European market see Box Large-scale direct heroin shipments to European ports. While the ratio of consignments that are successfully delivered to those that are seized is unknown, this development presents a clear threat of increased access to heroin in Europe. Large shipments of heroin along the second branch of the Southern route have also been observed see Table Examples of large maritime heroin seizures in the EU, Based on the available information, the UAE in particular appears to have emerged as a hub for heroin transhipment to Europe, and possibly a storage point where the origin of the drugs may be obscured. Seizures indicate that heroin consignments trafficked from key source countries on one route are in some cases switched to another route at transhipment points. This provides greater flexibility for traffickers and allows them to exploit new opportunities. Heroin trafficked along the third branch of the Southern route departs from the Makran Coast, typically in dhows, and is unloaded in several countries along the east coast of Africa. From there, the drugs are transported overland to South Africa or to other countries in East or West Africa. However, it appears that heroin is also increasingly being transported in container ships, which, unlike the dhows, can sail directly from the Makran Coast to South Africa. In addition, some of the drugs trafficked along this route are destined for local consumption, owing to sustained demand for heroin and other opioids in some African countries Cousins, ; Harker et al. This established heroin trafficking route appears to be increasingly exploited for the co-trafficking of methamphetamine to global markets, including the EU GITOC, This may be due to the recent surge in methamphetamine production in Afghanistan see Methamphetamine module. Routes used for further transportation from the East African coast to other countries in Africa and to Europe are complex. Note: This graph is based on the frequency of reports and not on heroin seizure quantities. Given that the data are incomplete, this graph does not present a ranking of countries. There is also evidence of large quantities of heroin arriving in the EU from countries in Africa by sea. In May , 2. Other methods employed to bring heroin from Africa to the EU include postal and parcel services and the use of air passengers as drug couriers. Several large heroin seizures on this route in recent years confirm that it is used to smuggle large amounts of opiates from Iran to Europe via Armenia or Azerbaijan and Georgia Customs. A number of recent seizures in Azerbaijan have involved heroin trafficked in trucks with legal goods from Iran. Iranian authorities also routinely report seizures of heroin in liquid form near the borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan, some of which appear to have been intended for onward trafficking IRNA, This phenomenon warrants awareness, including in the EU, where heroin seizures in liquid form have not been reported. Heroin trafficked on this route appears to be destined mainly for consumer markets in Central Asia, Belarus, Russia and Ukraine Bobokhodzhiev, Significant heroin seizures have recently been reported by countries along the Northern route, such as kilograms seized by Kyrgyzstan in This suggests that criminal networks active on this route may be able to smuggle large quantities of heroin towards consumer markets in Russia and beyond Kadyrov, EU Member States rarely seize heroin trafficked via the Northern route. Nonetheless, a proportion of the heroin shipped on the Northern route may eventually enter the EU from Russia and through Poland and the Baltic countries, and from Ukraine to Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Some heroin seized in Belarus, Romania and Ukraine in recent years was reported as having originated from Central Asia and being intended for Western European markets. The analysis shows that large heroin consignments arrive in the EU through various entry points and that the established trafficking routes are flexible and fluid, as are the methods of transportation and concealment. An example of this is the growing practice of combining trafficking routes, whereby criminal networks move heroin consignments from one means of transport to another at transhipment points see Box Key transhipment points for heroin trafficking. When heroin is trafficked by land, it is typically hidden in concealed compartments or among legal goods. While typically trafficked in powder form, traffickers also dissolve heroin in liquids to conceal it and minimise the risk of checks. In recent years, heroin trafficking by maritime routes appears to have increased see Section Southern route. Roll-on roll-off ferries and pleasure boats also appear to be used in some places, although this method is not well understood. One of the most frequently used methods for trafficking heroin by sea involves concealment in maritime containers and among legal goods through the use of fake labelling, documentation or packaging. Heroin is also trafficked by air, albeit in smaller quantities than in other modes of transport. While limited data are available on trafficking using private aircraft, heroin is regularly trafficked to Europe by couriers travelling on commercial flights from African countries see Box Heroin trafficked from Africa by air couriers. Another method employed to bring heroin into the EU is through mail consignments. The online trade relies heavily on post and parcel shipping, including through express courier services, and criminals take advantage of the large volume of parcels passing through mail distribution centres. As in the case of other drugs, criminals exploit the services of parcel delivery providers operating across the world to smuggle heroin. While the data available are limited, there is evidence of heroin trafficking through the postal system both within and to the EU from Africa and the Middle East see Box Heroin trafficked through mail consignments. Trafficking routes connect heroin production and consumer markets in the EU and may vary over time due to various factors. Importantly, criminal networks seek to maximise profits while minimising costs see Box Comparison of heroin markups on selected European wholesale markets. Based on the present analysis, three factors of particular importance emerge. First, globalisation has facilitated rapid connection and transportation between heroin production and consumer markets. Continuing international developments in transport infrastructure, such as the Chinese-led Belt and Road Initiative, courier services and containerised shipping, offer a range of new opportunities to traffickers to conceal heroin consignments while hampering the efforts of law enforcement. Ongoing developments in this area can influence changes in the relative preference for different routes. Second, changes in law enforcement activity and the availability and use of new sources of information on criminal activity, such as intercepting encrypted communications, may cause traffickers to adapt their modi operandi. Overall, law enforcement knowledge on heroin trafficking has improved considerably over recent years, with information being obtained from the lawful interception of encrypted communication platforms, such as Sky ECC. However, decryption and the translation and analysis of information present an ongoing challenge for law enforcement in the EU. It is also important to note that changes in law enforcement approaches and priorities may result in the discovery of trafficking routes and methods that have been in existence for some time rather than newly established routes and methods. Third, unexpected events, such as global crises, instability and armed conflicts, and significant political or economic changes, may affect drug trafficking. Criminal networks will strive to adapt to these events, both to overcome any difficulties they create and to exploit opportunities they present. For example, armed conflicts often lead to the displacement of populations and a breakdown of social structures, which can lead to vulnerable populations becoming more susceptible to exploitation for drug trafficking or use. Understanding how drug trafficking continuously adapts to global or regional crises can help to anticipate changes in trafficking patterns. Once smuggled into the EU, heroin is then distributed to consumer markets across Europe. Therefore, large quantities of heroin are likely to be trafficked to these countries to meet local demand. Consumer markets for heroin appear to remain stable, with only limited fluctuation in the number of users in the short term. However, there are several caveats that might suggest that recent changes in heroin use are not fully captured in current monitoring systems see Section The consumer market. The market for illicit synthetic opioids in the EU is supplied by both medicines intended for therapeutic purposes diverted from the legal market and a broad range of illicitly manufactured opioids. Synthetic opioids intended for therapeutic purposes enter the illicit drug supply chain in a number of ways. For example, they may be stolen or diverted from the legitimate supply chain including from manufacturers, wholesalers and pharmacies ; from healthcare systems from hospitals or through corrupt healthcare professionals or forged prescriptions ; or from licit use stolen directly from patients or when users sell or give away a proportion of their prescribed opioids. The illicit production of synthetic opioids in the EU remains uncommon see Section Synthetic opioid production in Europe: a marginal phenomenon. Generally, synthetic opioids are produced outside the EU and enter Europe through key logistics hubs. Typically, producers and traffickers of these substances ship small quantities anonymously through freight forwarders and postal or express courier services. Darknet markets, e-commerce and social media platforms are also exploited by sellers. Because of their potential presence in very small quantities, synthetic opioids may be difficult to detect using routine analytical methods and techniques currently employed by forensic laboratories. Another issue is the emergence of new synthetic opioids that are not controlled by international drug control agreements, as these may also pose particular difficulties in terms of detection see Box Detections and seizures of new synthetic opioids. This therefore remains an area requiring vigilance and some precautionary measures. Falsified or counterfeit opioid-containing medicines are a growing cause for concern as they are associated with high public health risks. Falsified medicines contain different quantities of the active substances than claimed, or different active substances entirely. Counterfeit medicines have the composition that is claimed but they infringe trademark rules European Medicines Agency, n. Overall, more information is needed on the diverse sources of these medicines. To gain a better understanding of this situation would require both forensic analysis of reported seizures to determine their source, and consistent reporting of the number of seizures and quantities seized. Based on reports to the EMCDDA from the Reitox national focal points, which do not necessarily contain results from forensic analyses, it has been possible to analyse seizures of some synthetic opioids in the EU. However, the number of reporting countries has varied from year to year, limiting the comparability of results see Table Seizures of selected synthetic opioids in the EU, The trafficking of fentanyl and its derivatives, such as carfentanil, is a particular concern for the EU. These extremely potent substances have high associated morbidity and mortality, posing serious and complex public health and law enforcement challenges. Information made available to Europol indicates that parcels containing fentanyl, some of which were connected to sales on darknet markets, have been sent to the EU from the United States. Although the problem of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids in the EU is much less severe than the opioid crisis in North America, the high potency of some of these substances means that small-scale suppliers can have a significant harmful impact. As with other synthetic opioids, fentanyl derivatives are produced mainly in clandestine laboratories outside the EU. Their distribution, primarily to the Baltic and Nordic countries, occurs in two strands. In one strand, fentanyl derivatives are distributed by criminal networks operating in EU destination countries, although there is an intelligence gap regarding their composition and nationalities. In the other strand, they are purchased directly by consumers and retail-level distributors via online platforms on the surface web and the darknet. On the Estonian market, fentanyl has replaced heroin as the main opioid consumed since An increase in the availability of fentanyl derivatives was also seen in neighbouring markets, especially Latvia, Lithuania and Sweden, until around , after which it declined. New fentanyl derivatives not covered by fentanyl controls were also detected in Europe in and New non-fentanyl synthetic opioids, including benzimidazole nitazene opioids, have also appeared on the drug market in the EU, posing concerns. Isotonitazene has been detected on the market in Latvia and Estonia, substituting for other opioids that are in short supply LSM. Ten EU Member States consistently provide seizure data on fentanyl derivatives. Only Austria reported an increase, from four seizures in to 11 in see Figure Number of seizures of fentanyl derivatives in 10 EU Member States, However, due to the low number of seizures, caution should be exercised in interpreting this increase. While the data give strong evidence of a decrease in the number of seizures of fentanyl derivatives, less data are available to draw firm conclusions regarding quantities seized see Table Seizures of selected synthetic opioids in the EU, Although the quantity reported by weight seized in was lower than in previous years, a wide range of fentanyl derivatives were reported to have been seized. This included carfentanil in combined seizures with fentanyl, and sometimes with methadone reported by Latvia in and Lithuania in , and remifentanil and alfentanil reported to have been seized in Slovakia in Furthermore, following a significant drop in the reported number of tablets seized, from 19 in five reporting countries to 91 in four reporting countries , the number rose to 5 in five reporting countries. These changes in the reported number of tablets seized were almost exclusively driven by Sweden. The overall decline in the number of seizures of fentanyl derivatives is probably driven by two key factors. These are the targeting, both offline and online, of fentanyl derivative distribution networks by law enforcement in affected EU Member States and controls placed on new psychoactive substances in China. Other European countries have systematically targeted criminal networks involved in the distribution of these substances. Despite the notable decrease in the number of seizures in the 10 EU Member States that consistently provided data between and , there is evidence of continued trafficking of fentanyl derivatives. For example, Estonian police reported the seizures of grams and grams of carfentanil in two operations near the Latvian border in April and May , respectively. The drugs were trafficked from Latvia by Latvian nationals, allegedly for distribution on the Estonian market see Photos Carfentanil seized in two operations in Estonia, April and May Efforts at national level have been boosted by the generic control measures on fentanyl derivatives imposed in in China, historically one of the main source countries for new psychoactive substances. This measure covers the illicit production, export and sale of all fentanyl derivatives. In , the INCB noted that this legislation had led to a sharp drop in the quantity of fentanyl-related substances of alleged Chinese origin being seized globally INCB, a. However, traffickers and producers appear to have adapted by using new methods, such as the use of non-scheduled chemicals and chemically masked fentanyl precursors, to circumvent the ban INCB, a. The long-term impact of these developments on Europe needs to be monitored. A number of other synthetic opioid medicines, including methadone, buprenorphine, tramadol and oxycodone, continue to be seized in the EU. In addition to illicit production both outside and inside the EU, medicinal products containing synthetic opioids are also diverted from legitimate supplies. Synthetic opioids are key active pharmaceutical ingredients in many medicines prescribed and sold in the EU and come in a variety of forms, including tablets, patches, sprays and lozenges. Fentanyl-containing medicines diverted from legal supply are most commonly seized as patches, sprays and lozenges see Box Operation Chimera: diversion and trafficking of fentanyl and other opioids in Romania. In some countries, such as France, the diversion of opioid medicines, such as methadone and buprenorphine, is reported to be the main source for their illicit drug markets. Some of the opioid medicines seized in the EU are intended for use outside the region. For example, seizures of tramadol reported in a number of EU countries appear to have been in transit to the Middle East and Africa. Despite high availability in the EU, tramadol currently has a low rate of misuse across European countries with the possible exception of France; see Section Overdose deaths related to heroin and other opioids Iwanicki et al. This is in contrast to data from some countries in Africa and Middle East, where no other prescription opioids are available and where rates of non-medical tramadol use have been rising UNODC, ; WHO, Of concern is the recent increase in oxycodone seizures in the EU. Developments have also been seen in the illicit buprenorphine trade. The misuse of buprenorphine in some EU Member States is considerable. For example, buprenorphine has been the main opioid misused in Finland for a number of years, with France being consistently reported as the source. It appears that relatively large buprenorphine shipments are moved from France via Germany, Sweden and Estonia to Finland. Following an increase in the number of seizures between and , a drop was noted in The decline was driven by fewer seizures reported by Austria, Finland, Greece and Sweden. However, this analysis is hampered by a lack of data from France and Germany see Figure Number of buprenorphine seizures in 11 EU Member States, Fourteen EU Member States consistently provide methadone seizure data. This large increase was driven mainly by seizures in Spain, where methadone seizures amounted to less than 10 kilograms per year between and , but increased to kilograms in The number of reported methadone tablets or capsules seized remained stable in this period, based on reporting from five EU Member States. Consult the list of references used in this module. Homepage Quick links Quick links. GO Results hosted on duckduckgo. Main navigation Data Open related submenu Data. Latest data Prevalence of drug use Drug-induced deaths Infectious diseases Problem drug use Treatment demand Seizures of drugs Price, purity and potency. Drug use and prison Drug law offences Health and social responses Drug checking Hospital emergencies data Syringe residues data Wastewater analysis Data catalogue. 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Introduction Introduction Key findings and threat assessment Key findings and threat assessment Global context Global context Production Production Trafficking and supply Trafficking and supply Criminal networks Criminal networks Prices, purities and offences Prices, purities and offences Retail markets Retail markets Actions to address current threats and increase preparedness Actions to address current threats and increase preparedness. Search within the book Operator Any match. Exact term match only. Main subject. Target audience. Publication type. EU Drug Market: Heroin and other opioids — main page. On this page.

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