EU struggles to fight online drug trafficking

The European Commission has acknowledged the difficulty of combating drug trafficking in the EU.

It says the complexity and constant innovation by criminals added to the diversity of illegal substances circulating in the European market makes the job increasingly hard.

EU Home Affairs Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström pointed to the growing role of online-markets: “The internet provides a rapid and secure means of communication for consumers and criminals. It is also developing as a virtual market place. That means that new trends are global and diffuse faster than before.”

The Commission asked all Member States to ban the new synthetic drug 4-methylamphetamine (4-MA), to “avoid spreading unrestricted” use. The
substance has effects physically similar to amphetamine.

The drug is already illegal in ten European Union countries and has been associated with the deaths of 21 people in the last two years.

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