By: Staff Writer
September 26, 2023
The European territories in the Caribbean are the main transhipment points for cocaine getting into Europe says a new study from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Christopher Hernandez-Roy is the deputy director and senior fellow of the Americas Program at the (CSIS), said at the launch of the Digital Report for Tracking Transatlantic Drug Flows through the Caribbean to Europe that the preferred route for cocaine headed to Europe has been from Colombia, to Venezuela and then to the Caribbean then on to Europe.
Explaining how this is done, he said: “One method is what we call island hopping, where cocaine from Colombia is transported through Venezuela and then on little go fast boats to some of the islands just offshore from Venezuela, including Trinidad and Tobago.
“Then go fast boats or fishing vessels take the cocaine up in a series of stops through the through the Antilles and one of the major destinations is the Dominican Republic, which has large, large ports. Itt’s close both to the United States, but it’s also because of its ports. Is a good test is a good shipment point for containers bound for Europe.”
He added: But another one (route) is through the various European possessions that are in the Caribbean, whether they are French territories, British territories or Dutch territories. In the case here we’re showing cocaine that’s, again, coming from Colombia through Venezuela, overland or again by fast boats through Guyana, through Suriname and reaching French Guiana- which is an interesting territory- It’s an integral part of France, kind of like Hawaii is an integral part of the United States. It is like how Hawaii is a US state, French Guiana is a French department. It’s also part of the European Union. So there are certain advantages. There’s common language with Europe, there’s a common currency, there’s connections, there’s family, there’s transportation, and in fact, cocaine leaving French Guiana either by container or on mules, which are people carrying cocaine on their person is responsible for as much as 20 percent of the cocaine reaching France.”
He continued, “Other routes through European possessions, for instance, Aruba and Curacao, which are independent countries, but they’re part of the Kingdom of the of the Netherlands, they’re also very, very close to the Venezuelan coast and from there cocaine can be shipped either by container, or other ways directly to Europe or again, through the Caribbean.”
He didn’t leave out the Anglo-Caribbean but said that there hasn’t been any noticeable shipments of cocaine coming out of the Anglo-Caribbean headed to Europe.
There are also various modes of transport, either by container, plane or by “narco-subs,” that the drug cartels have in their possession that have the capacity to cross both oceans. More frequently now, cocaine is getting in by sailing and pleasure vessels, Mr Roy noted.