Cocaine crisis in Bavaria: Availability and consumption rise rapidly!

Cocaine crisis in Bavaria: Availability and consumption rise rapidly!

Coburg, Deutschland - The drug problem takes on alarming proportions in Bavaria. According to current reports from the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA), the availability of cocaine has "increased extremely" in recent years. This is also reflected in the numbers: In 2024, 3,972 violations in connection with cocaine were registered, which corresponds to a sudden increase compared to the 3,638 cases in 2023 and 2,560 in 2022. Apparently, the police suspect that the number of consumers has also increased, while cocaine has been the second most common cause of drug abuse in Bavaria for three years.

A striking trend is the shift in drug trafficking to the Internet. This makes drug use easier and more convenient for many people. The LKA emphasizes that the fight against crime in digital space is difficult, but is not impossible. Representatives of the police, public prosecutor and customs from 20 countries come together to an international conference, which is led by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). In addition to cocaine, online drug trafficking and the challenges of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl, are also the focus.

The threat from synthetic opioids

According to the International Supplement Control Council (INCB), synthetic opioids are increasingly responsible for overdosing. The INCB's annual report shows that drug dealers are increasingly using social media and legal online platforms to market their products-a real challenge for drug control. Jallal Toufiq, President of the INCB, calls for close cooperation between governments and the private sector to combat online drug trafficking more effectively.

The dangers that emerge from illegal internet pharmacies are also alarming: they sell medication without a prescription and thus endanger patient safety. Even if there are opportunities to use social media for prevention campaigns, illegal drug trafficking is a serious problem. Encryption technologies and anonymous surfing the Darknet make the persecution and clarification of such activities difficult.

international challenges and possibilities

The beginnings of this development lie deep; Worldwide trade in illegal drugs is estimated at $ 4.4 billion. In many regions, there are inequalities when accessing legitimate painkillers, and the illegal cultivation of drug plants, such as coconut smoke in Colombia and Peru, has reached record heights. In addition, a bottleneck in the availability of heroin causes restrictions in sleep poppy seeds in Afghanistan that synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are becoming more attractive.

The challenges that Bavarian and international law enforcement agencies are facing in particular are high. But with international cooperation and the right tools there are opportunities to combat online drug trafficking and at the same time do prevention work. We have to face reality: the drug market changes, and with it the strategies to get it under control.

According to the LKA information, the increase in cocaine availability in Bavaria not only refers not only to the city centers, but also increasingly to rural regions, where drug trafficking is becoming more important on the Internet. However, the police remain optimistic and makes it clear that she takes this challenge seriously and is actively working on unmasking the backers and the networks behind this trade.