In a UN report published yesterday, Portugal was identified as one of the gateways for cocaine into Europe by sea and where part of the trafficking is managed by groups based in Spain, namely Galicia, reports Notícias online.

According to the Global Cocaine Report 2023, released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there are two main channels for cocaine to enter Western and Central Europe: one via the ports of Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the North Sea, and a second via the coasts and ports of Portugal and Spain.

The report, quoted by Notícias online, points out that Portugal's location and its long Atlantic coastline make the country "a natural point of arrival for cocaine being unloaded from ships".

The Algarve region, in addition to Madeira and the Azores, stands out for drug trafficking that is not hidden in legitimate cargo and where cocaine arrives mainly via pleasure boats.