Illegal drugs worth more than €31 billion ($33.9 billion) are traded in the EU every year, according to the latest drugs report published by Europol and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) on Thursday.
The number one drug traded in the EU is cannabis, with around €12 billion, followed by cocaine with around €11.6 billion, according to the report.
The influence of the international drug trade on life in European countries is becoming ever stronger, Europol and EMCCDA warned during the presentation of the report.
Violence, corruption and the undermining of law and democracy are on the rise, said Europol chief Catherine De Bolle in The Hague.
"Criminal networks infect the very core of our communities, weaving through the fabric of our democracy and economy. They erode trust, fuel violence, and create cycles of addiction and poverty," she said.
"A vigilant, unified response is needed to safeguard our citizens and society from the omnipresent influence of this invisible enemy. Using Europol, EU Member States can pool resources, exchange criminal intelligence, and coordinate actions to tackle the illegal distribution of drugs."
Investigators have identified around 800 criminal groups that threaten states' security, she said, adding that drugs are one of the main sources of income for organized crime.
According to the report, Europe is central to the production, procurement and trafficking of drugs. The experts point to the large-scale production of cannabis and synthetic drugs in Europe as well as the large quantities of cocaine smuggled from Latin America.
While in the past 10 years far more cocaine has been confiscated than before, this has also led to more violence in some cities, with attacks and murders on the streets, said De Bolle, who warned "the unrest among gangs is on the increase."
Alexis Goosdee, Director of the Lisbon-based EMCDDA, emphasized that the battle had certainly not been won. "The illegal drugs market is more active than ever and this is reflected in low prices and high quality," he said.