Belgium has become the country where the largest quantities of cocaine have been seized within the European Union in recent years, with the port of Antwerp the main entry point for the illegal drug.

The director of the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Alexis Gosdeel, said earlier this month that the “growing flow of cocaine now threatens the entire European Union”. 

“I am deeply concerned that the expanding EU cocaine market is bringing a rise in violence and corruption on public institutions and governance,” he warned. 

In Ecuador, violence linked to drug smuggling has skyrocketed as powerful Mexican cartels have infiltrated local gangs to gain control of the lucrative business.

Prisons are overflowing and fights between rival gangs behind bars have left scores dead.