DEN HAAG — The Caribbean islands continue to play a structural role in international cocaine trafficking to the Netherlands and wider Europe, according to a new report by the Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek- en Datacentrum (WODC).
The research institute concludes that drug smuggling routes are now almost entirely maritime and increasingly depend on ports and so-called “inside assistance,” including corruption. This trend, the report notes, directly affects the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, where ports and logistics chains remain vulnerable to infiltration by criminal networks.
According to the WODC, criminal organizations continuously adapt their methods in response to stricter controls. As a result, smaller and less heavily secured ports remain attractive transit points for cocaine shipments. In all recent smuggling cases examined, researchers identified elements of corruption, both within and outside official institutions, significantly increasing the risks faced by ports and logistics sectors in the region.
The report further highlights that drug trafficking and extreme violence are closely connected within the same international criminal networks. While the liquidations analyzed in the study largely took place in the Netherlands, conflicts over drug shipments and money flows often originate outside Europe, including in the Caribbean region.
The growing use of encrypted communication, such as PGP messaging, has enabled law enforcement agencies to better map international connections. This, in turn, has led to Caribbean links in drug trafficking networks being identified more quickly during investigations.
The WODC emphasizes that these findings underline the importance of sustained cooperation within the Kingdom. The institute calls for continued and intensified efforts in port security, anti-corruption measures, and information sharing between authorities.
According to the report, the Caribbean islands should not be viewed as peripheral in the fight against international drug crime, but rather as a strategic factor in efforts to disrupt global cocaine trafficking networks.