Highly potent synthetic opioids are already in Europe’s drug supply chains

In defiance of expectations, Afghanistan’s ban on opium in 2022 appears not to have yet affected the European heroin trade, which shows a high level of stability and reportedly abundant stockpiles. Recent police operations reveal that heroin arrives hidden in trucks and cars via historical routes, such as from Central Asia across the Balkans, as well as less usual trafficking routes. For instance, in January 2024, Italian authorities arrested a Nigerian national who was trafficking heroin that reportedly originated from the Golden Triangle. This may hint towards diversified trafficking patterns, with Myanmar now being the main producer of opium globally.   

As heroin trafficking flows continue to reach Europe, there is however growing evidence that synthetic opioids have entered European markets, including fentanyl and its derivatives, highly deadly nitazenes and diverted or counterfeit prescription opioids. This suggests that synthetic opioid trafficking is developing to and within Europe, but it remains small scale and mostly invisible. 

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