Recent cocaine busts in France have illustrated a significant rise in the popularity of the drug, due to a fall in prices, with street seizures doubling in less than five years.
According to the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFTD): "cocaine is the only drug whose use among adults has increased continuously and significantly over the last ten years."
Since 2015, the price per gramme in the Île-de-France region around Paris has fallen from €80 to €60.
This spike in consumption has also given rise to fears of an increase in health problems generated by regular cocaine use - the "positive" euphoric effects are followed by a "come-down" phase, marked by depressive symptoms, anxiety and strong irritability.
Cocaine also causes a strong psychological dependence.
#Paris Seine-Saint-Denis
— OFDT (@OFDT) November 30, 2021
⏩ Observations locales 2020 du dispositif #TREND sur les #drogues illicites, leurs #usagers et les #marchés. Analyse de @AssoCharonne avec le soutien de @ARS_IDFhttps://t.co/AVLIT2kg9Q pic.twitter.com/jZchZbG8Vp
Two tonnes seized in Paris airports in 2021
In 2021, customs in Paris' airports seized almost two tonnes of the powder, compared to 1.4 tonnes in 2020. Every week, so-called "mules" are stopped at Parisian stations and airports. The drug is also sent from the West Indies by post in envelopes or diluted in bottles of rum.
Orly airport in Paris and Guianese drug networks are at the heart of the police fight against cocaine trafficking and are seen as a growing threat.
The central directorate of France's judicial police says they have seen an increase in the number of "mules" on flights between Cayenne and Paris. These couriers can carry between three to four kilos per trip and are paid around €5,000.
The directorate also notes that the smugglers are increasingly using Paris and its suburbs as a staging point before supplying outlets in the provinces.
However, a large part of the cocaine arrives on the European market by sea, as shown by the seizures made in 2021 at the ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam and Le Havre - with 89, 70 and 23 tonnes respectively.
Law enforcement agencies estimate that theses figures represent only 10% of the goods that are actually unloaded.
🔹UNODC #GraphicOfTheWeek🔹
— UN Office on Drugs & Crime (@UNODC) October 17, 2021
The cocaine market presents a global threat in terms of security & health. The latest ‘Cocaine Insights 2’ gives you the current info on
• Type of cocaine consumer products
• Their manufacture & consumption 🌎
Read more 👉 https://t.co/LjMKGVPjKy pic.twitter.com/gsR1KRyjlu
- No quick fix for Paris's growing crack cocaine problem
- Netherlands, Belgium overtake Spain as main gateways into Europe for cocaine
Highest production level in history
In its most recent report on drug trafficking, the United Nations says: "the amount of cocaine manufactured worldwide doubled between 2014 and 2019, reaching an estimated 1,784 tons [1,618 tonnes approx.], the highest level ever recorded."
In addition to this exponential rise in production, the analysis of wastewater in sewage plants across Europe has shown a clear increase in cocaine use, according to the UN.
The OFDT believes around 600,000 people are regular users of cocaine in France and is the most widely used illegal substance after cannabis, affecting all categories of society, including top athletes.
In a survey conducted by French sports magazine L'Équipe, rugby players were particularly affected.
However, all demographic categories of the French population indulge in cocaine, from schoolteachers to lawyers, who use it recreationally at weekends.
Easy access via drug dealing points and call centres
Although cocaine used to be reserved for certain insiders, it is now available at drug dealing points in Parisian neighbourhoods where a gramme can be bought for as little as €50.
Above all drug distribution has been "Uberised", as it is increasingly delivered to homes - like cannabis - by drug call centres who promote their telephone numbers via encrypted messaging systems, even accepting payment in bitcoins.
According to several sources, many of the major cannabis specialists in Ile-de-France - driven by an opportunity to expand their profits - have turned to South America to find suppliers and feed the growing market.
Paris police laboratories have confirmed that recent drugs seizures in the Greater Parisian region are of a very high level of purity.
Dealers can then cut it - which allows them to transform one kilo into three - keeping the cocaine almost 70% pure to continue attracting consumers.
The OFDT has noted: "A very clear increase in the purity of cocaine has been observed for several years, since the average rate of street seizures - which is currently 66% on average - has doubled in 5 years."
