Wastewater Tests Find Cocaine Residues Highest in Lleida and Antwerp, Stable or Lower Elsewhere in Europe
The European Union Drugs Agency report found Lleida, Spain recorded the highest cocaine residue levels at 1,405 mg per 1,000 residents. Several cities showed sharp year-over-year increases in detected residues.
Lleida, Spain recorded the highest average cocaine residue level in Europe at 1,405 mg per 1,000 residents, according to wastewater analysis released by the European Union Drugs Agency. Antwerp, Belgium followed with 1,382 mg, and Granada, Spain recorded 1,238 mg. Amsterdam measured 1,172 mg, Liège, Belgium 1,039 mg, and Brussels 1,020 mg.
Santiago de Compostela, Spain placed seventh at 1,008 mg. Kufstein, Austria recorded 998 mg, Barcelona 997 mg, and Namur, Belgium 927 mg. Cocaine is the second most widely used illegal drug in Europe after cannabis.
Barcelona recorded the largest percentage increase, rising 185 percent or 647 mg per 1,000 residents. Lleida increased 125 percent or 782 mg. Velenje, Domžale and Kamnik in Slovenia each rose between 272 mg and 329 mg.
Esbjerg, Denmark increased 266 mg, Aalborg 234 mg, and Copenhagen 148 mg. 9 percent of adults in Norway and the Netherlands reported cocaine use in the 12 months before the survey. 4 percent.
3 percent, and Ireland 5 percent. Spain seized 124 tonnes of cocaine in 2024. 5 tonnes, its largest amount on record.
Belgium's seizures fell 64 percent, Germany's fell 45 percent, and the Netherlands' fell 36 percent. EU member states conducted 97,000 individual cocaine-related crackdowns during the year. Europol coordinated an operation in April 2025 targeting the Atlantic Cocaine Highway between the Canary Islands and the Azores.
5 tonnes of hashish, arrested 54 people, and intercepted eight vessels. The agency said the increase in crackdowns despite lower total seizures suggests shifting trafficking routes and methods. Traffickers are using smaller ports, at-sea transfers, semi-submersibles, drones, and concealment techniques.
