Drug smugglers seek smaller Scandinavian ports

Europe’s largest ports such as Rotterdam and Antwerp have long been high on the list for drug traffickers.

But there has been a shift. Now, smaller ports in Northern Europe and Scandinavia are increasingly targets for drug smuggling, and this requires a new approach from the authorities.

This is stated by Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard (S) at a press conference following Monday’s meeting of the European Port Alliance.

– Previously, drugs mainly entered through large ports like Rotterdam, Le Havre, Antwerp, and Hamburg.

– Since the European Port Alliance was established, it has helped local authorities combat smuggling, but we have also seen a “waterbed effect,” where smaller and medium-sized ports have become targets for drug smuggling, says Peter Hummelgaard.

He mentions Helsingborg as one of the ports. In Denmark, there has also been a focus on Aarhus port in connection with drug smuggling.

Therefore, the authorities now need to collaborate to find new ways to combat smuggling, says the Danish Justice Minister.

– We need to learn from other countries. We heard from the Dutch minister that drugs are still being smuggled through the port in Rotterdam, but in the Netherlands, it is also shifting to smaller ports. Therefore, we need to work together, says Peter Hummelgaard.

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, believes that the authorities’ efforts have had an effect. He points out that 1800 tons of drugs were discovered in European ports between 2019 and 2024.

But the challenge remains enormous:

– When we get better at stopping drugs in one place, we can be sure that drug traffickers will seek new routes. It is a cat and mouse situation, says Magnus Brunner.

He believes that the port alliance has helped the large ports to tighten surveillance through increased investments in scanners and better sharing of information.

But it is no longer enough to focus on Europe’s large ports:

– We need to expand the port alliance. Now we also need to focus on the small ports, says Magnus Brunner.

The meeting in the port alliance comes ahead of the EU countries’ justice and interior ministers meeting in Copenhagen on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here, both combating organized crime and “irregular migration” are on the agenda.

Denmark is among the EU countries that have the strictest migration policy, and therefore Brunner expects that Denmark will help tighten migration policy at the European level during the EU presidency, which ends on January 1, 2026.