European gangs are getting better at making their own illegal drugs

Cocaine was rarely produced in Europe until 2018. Increased coca production in Latin America and improved police surveillance have prodded some criminals into changing tack. While most still import the finished product, crooks increasingly get cheaper products like cocaine base, then turn them into cocaine hydrochloride (a white powder) using chemicals in labs. Many more extract cocaine that has been chemically hidden for shipment in the likes of charcoal, clothing and sugar. In 2022 39 cocaine labs were dismantled in the EU, up from 15 in 2019.