How Cocaine Is Flooding Into Europe
Summary
This episode of The Journal explores the surge in cocaine trafficking into Europe, focusing on Spain's southern coast. Reporter Suna Rasmussen details how cartels are bypassing secure ports using fast "narco boats" to smuggle drugs onto beaches, a method that is cheaper and harder to detect. The segment highlights the severe resource imbalance, as Spanish authorities are vastly outnumbered and underfunded compared to the lucrative drug trade. It also covers the increasing violence, including a deadly attack on police, and the "waterbed effect" where supply shifts to new markets as authoriti…
Topics discussed
Intro and live show announcement
Global cocaine surge and Europe's new market status
Reporting from Spain's Costa del Sol
Show introduction and sponsor reads
Interview with a senior drug trafficker
Shift from shipping containers to speed boats
Narco boats: Specs, origins, and evasion tactics
Cost comparison: Ports vs. Narco boats
Profit margins and cartel revenue diversification
Money laundering in Marbella
Violent clash between police and drug boats
Family of fallen officer and government criticism
Resource disparity: Police vs. Traffickers
Recent seizures and the 'waterbed effect'
Conclusion and credits
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