EU launches high-tech strategy to combat drug trafficking

(MENAFN) The European Commission has introduced a comprehensive new EU Drugs Strategy and Action Plan aimed at tackling the continent’s increasingly sophisticated drug trafficking networks. As part of the initiative, the EU will deploy advanced satellites, drones, and artificial intelligence (AI) systems to monitor traffickers across borders and from the skies, according to reports.

EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner highlighted the urgency of the situation, noting that Europe is "reaching a crisis point" as cocaine seizures have increased sixfold and methamphetamine seizures more than tripled between 2013 and 2023.

He added that approximately 7,500 Europeans die each year due to drug-related causes.

"This is why today we are taking urgent actions...We sent the drug lords and their organizations a very, very clear message: Europe is fighting back," Brunner said during remarks in Brussels.

The plan will provide Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, with advanced resources, including high-resolution satellite imagery, aerial surveillance, and drones. These tools are intended to allow EU authorities to track shipments, monitor changing trafficking routes, and identify suspicious activity well before drugs enter Europe.

Additionally, the strategy includes enhancing maritime surveillance, expanding the European Ports Alliance, and building stronger partnerships with ports in Latin America to intercept illegal consignments. The plan also emphasizes the growing use of AI-based detection technologies, upgraded X-ray systems, and tighter oversight of postal and parcel deliveries, where traffickers increasingly conceal synthetic drugs.

"Drug traffickers use the latest technologies, and that's why we also have to put the focus on innovation to actually beat them," Brunner said.

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