The Netherlands is an important global trading hub, with Rotterdam being one of the worlds largest container ports in the world. The country's high quality infrastructure and the well known liberal approach to drugs makes the Netherlands attractive to organized criminal groups. And those originating in the Western Balkans have long been active in the Netherlands.

According to the Global Organized Crime Index, the Netherlands has high levels of foreign criminal actors with 6 out of 10 - an increase of 1.50 in just two years – only Bangladesh and Afghanistan have seen larger increases.

Alongside that, the levels of cocaine and synthetic drugs are extremely high - for cocaine the Netherlands sits 21st globally with 7.5 out of 10, and for synthetic drugs it’s even higher at 8 out of 10 – which is 15th globally.

In today’s episode we’ll look at the impact of organized criminal groups from the Western Balkans on the Netherlands, and their involvement in the illicit drugs trade.

Presenter: Thin Lei Win

Speakers:

Ingrid Gercama, Investigative Journalist writing about the environment, politics, and conflict, mostly from the Balkans and Africa.

Links:

Article - Western Balkan criminal groups are important players in the Netherlands.

SEE-Obs - Risk Bulletin #18

Paper - Transnational Tentacles: Global Hotspots of Balkan Organized Crime

Paper - The cocaine pipeline to Europe

OC Index Country profiles:

Netherlands country profile

Albania country profile

Montenegro country profile

Serbia country profile

Bosnia & Herzegovina country profile

North Macedonia country profile

The Global Organized Crime Index

GITOC - South-Eastern Europe Observatory (SEE-Obs)

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime