The German government's Federal Commissioner for Drugs and Addiction, Hendrik Streck, warned that the Donald Trump administration's crackdown on drug cartels in Latin America could lead to a redirection of drug trafficking to Europe and especially Germany, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
"The US administration's tougher measures against cartels in Colombia and Venezuela are unlikely to ease the situation in Europe and Germany - on the contrary," said Streck in an interview with the newspaper “Bild“.
He explained that criminal networks usually respond with new routes, transit countries and stronger drug substitutes.
"For Germany, this could mean a change in trafficking routes by sea and land, as well as in the way they are distributed through digital space," the commissioner added.
Streck stressed that the country is already facing extremely dynamic organized crime structures, especially on the internet.
The warning comes against the backdrop of a series of US strikes on vessels in the Caribbean that Washington claims are transporting drugs. According to reports, dozens of people have died in the operations.
Hendrik Streck, a virologist and immunologist who became famous during the Covid pandemic, said that the situation on the drug market is extremely tense.
"We are facing a looming drug crisis," he said.
The commissioner pointed out that cocaine, crack and synthetic drugs are easily available and their prices are falling - a trend that increases both accessibility and the risk of addiction.
"Users are getting younger - the 14% increase in drug-related deaths among people under 30 is a clear warning signal," added Streck.