Global cocaine production has reached a historical maximum: in 2024, about 4.1 thousand tonnes of pure cocaine were produced in South America, according to the new World Drug Report 2026 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
According to UNODC’s estimate, the figure is in the range of 3.8 thousand to 4.7 thousand tonnes and is more than four times higher than the 2014 level. This makes the cocaine market one of the fastest-growing segments of the global illegal drug economy.
The UN notes that the growth in production is accompanied by the expansion of supply routes, changes in logistics and a high level of violence in countries of origin and transit. South America remains the main production region, while the main countries associated with coca cultivation and cocaine production are Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.
Colombia remains a key link in the global market. According to UNODC, in 2024 it was in Colombia that 966 tonnes of cocaine were seized, which accounts for about 40% of global seizures. It follows from this that the total volume of cocaine seizures in the world in 2024 could have amounted to about 2.4 thousand tonnes. At the same time, seizures do not reflect the entire volume of the market, but only the part that law enforcement agencies were able to intercept.
Demand also remains high. According to UNODC, in 2024 about 25 million people worldwide used cocaine. This places it after cannabis, opioids and amphetamines among the most widespread groups of drugs.
North America remains the largest cocaine market. According to the UN estimate, in 2024 about 6.5 million people in North America used cocaine, or 2% of the population aged 15-64. Western and Central Europe is considered the second-largest market, where demand for cocaine has grown significantly over the past decade. South America and individual countries of Oceania also remain significant markets.
In Europe, according to the European Union Drugs Agency, in 2024 EU countries reported 97 thousand cocaine seizures with a total volume of 330 tonnes. Spain, France and Belgium accounted for 67% of this volume. Spain seized 124 tonnes, France — 53.5 tonnes, and Belgium — 44.6 tonnes. Significant volumes were also recorded in the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Italy.
European data show that the market is changing its routes. A decrease in the volume of seizures in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands does not necessarily mean a reduction in supplies. EUDA indicates that this may reflect a change in methods and points of entry amid strengthened controls in major ports.
A separate trend is the emergence of processing and packaging facilities already inside Europe. In 2024, six EU countries reported the dismantling of at least 42 facilities linked to the production or processing of cocaine. This suggests that the market is becoming more complex: part of the operations is being moved closer to consumers in order to conceal supplies and increase profitability.
The price of cocaine in the world strongly depends on the region, the degree of risk, the distance from producing countries and the level of law enforcement pressure. In countries of origin, the cost is significantly lower, while in distant markets, especially in Europe, North America and Oceania, the final price may be many times higher. The UN and European agencies record not so much a single global price as a general trend: amid growth in production and supplies, the purity of the product at the retail level in Europe has increased, while the price index has declined over the past decade.
As a result, cocaine remains not only a public health problem, but also a factor of organized crime, corruption, violence and destabilization of legal economies.
According to Serbian Economist, Hungarian law enforcement agencies seized a record 522 kg of cocaine, the Hungarian police reported following a press conference.
According to police, the shipment was discovered at the Csepel port in Budapest among a cargo of bananas. Investigators inspected approximately 7,000 boxes and found 438 blocks of cocaine weighing a total of 522 kg. The estimated black market value of the shipment is approximately 43 million euros. Hungarian authorities called this the largest cocaine seizure in the country’s history.
The operation involved the Hungarian National Bureau of Investigation, the Hungarian Tax and Customs Administration, German law enforcement agencies, as well as partners in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Police also reported the arrest of several suspects. Hungarian law enforcement officials believe the country is becoming one of the logistics hubs through which large shipments of drugs from South America are distributed further across the region.
International container shipments of cocaine have surged in recent years. While major flows previously passed through major ports in the Netherlands and Spain, shipments are now increasingly being routed to Southern and Central Europe as well, including ports in Montenegro. From there, shipments can be redirected to other countries in the region.
Hungary has no seaports, but it is actively used as a transit country thanks to its rail and road connections with Germany, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and the Balkans. Montenegro, which has access to the Adriatic Sea, is also regularly cited in European investigations as one of the most frequent transit points for illicit shipments into the region.
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According to Serbian Economist, Europol has reported new progress in the investigation against the so-called “Balkan Cartel”: one of the alleged key members of the network, which investigators link to the supply of large shipments of cocaine from South America to the European market, has been detained in Montenegro. According to the agency, the case involves the smuggling of 2.7 tons of drugs.
As Europol clarifies, Montenegrin judicial authorities have filed charges against several suspects, and the investigation is focused on the international logistics of drug trafficking, financial flows, and the coordination of shipments within Europe. This involves a network that, according to investigators, operated across several countries and used the Balkans as part of a broader criminal network.
Earlier, in December 2025, the agency reported on a separate operation in Germany targeting key figures in this network; at that time, three individuals were detained and assets worth approximately 5 million euros were seized.
For Balkan countries, such cases have not only a criminal but also an economic dimension. Intensified international investigations, expanded data sharing between police and financial intelligence agencies, and pressure on illicit cross-border flows are becoming part of a broader agenda to reduce reputational and institutional risks in the region. For Montenegro, Serbia, and neighboring markets, this is also important from the perspective of investment image, as the fight against organized crime remains one of the EU’s key evaluation criteria.
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