Cocaine flood in Austria: BK chief explains the billion-euro business of the cartels
According to the BK chief, drugs account for at least 65 per cent of organised crime. Balkan cartels and 'Ndrangheta cooperate in cocaine trafficking.
Organised crime: Cocaine remains the most lucrative business
Drug trafficking continues to be the most important business sector of organised crime in Austria and Europe. This was stated by Andreas Holzer, chief of the Federal Crime Bureau (BK), as vol.at reports: "A minimum of 65 to 70 per cent of organised crime is involved in drug trafficking." Even with falling street prices, the business remains highly profitable because demand is stable and supply chains are professionally organised.
Holzer, whose contract as BK chief was extended for five years last February, pointed to Operation "Achilles", in which organised crime investigators have been able to inflict significant damage to criminal networks since 2021 through analysis of encrypted chats in cryptographic messenger services. It emerged that Balkan cartels now send residents to South America to coordinate smuggling operations directly on the ground — often in close cooperation with Italian perpetrator groups.
Balkan cartels and 'Ndrangheta: Cooperation instead of conflict
According to Holzer, the 'Ndrangheta, the mafia of the southern Italian region of Calabria, continues to be one of the dominant organisations in global cocaine trafficking. Despite the growing independence of Balkan organisations, there have been no open conflicts so far. "There is so much business. I would not know of any conflict between Balkan cartels and the 'Ndrangheta," said Holzer. Rather, the groups cooperate as needed. "They are simply flexible. What we lack somewhat due to legal constraints is of no concern to them."
Cocaine reaches the European market through a wide variety of perpetrator groups. Holzer put it concisely: "There is simply an insane amount of stuff out there."
Purity levels of 60 to 70 per cent now standard
The goods available on the street market have changed significantly in quality. Holzer confirmed that cocaine with a purity level of 60 or 70 per cent — sometimes even higher — is now the standard product in street sales. However, he contradicts the thesis that higher purity automatically leads to more drug deaths.
Holzer sees the real problem in the dark web: there, extremely potent synthetic addictive drugs are offered because dealers are interested in good ratings. Consumers underestimate the active ingredient content and sometimes die from an overdose. "Of course, drug deaths are also bad for the dealers' and their backers' business," said the BK chief.
With cocaine, however, consumers generally know what they are taking. "Good stuff is simply better for the whole business," said Holzer.
Marijuana: THC content increased from five to 25 per cent
Holzer attributes a rise in psychosis less to cocaine than to marijuana: "I am more opposed to marijuana." The purity level of cannabis has also increased dramatically — according to studies, from around five per cent THC previously to up to 25 per cent today. "This has nothing to do with an idyllic view of a supposedly harmless marijuana consumption anymore," Holzer stated. This is particularly problematic for younger people: brain research shows that the brain continues to develop until around 27 years of age.
Prolonged cocaine abuse also has serious health consequences — especially for the psyche. Holzer specifically mentioned the interplay of paranoia and depression. In police work on the street, one does encounter people under strong cocaine influence, "but it is not the mass." He described polysubstance abuse as particularly dangerous.
Austrian Narcotic Drugs Act as a model
Holzer expressly praised the domestic Narcotic Drugs Act (SMG) as "one of the best in the world". The principle, he said, is: "Therapy before punishment, but nevertheless every use is punishable, one must not forget that." He described this as "good practice" and added that the police concentrate their resources on major dealers, not on individual users. Using Vienna as an example, he highlighted that the police control network is finely meshed against both street-level and wholesale dealing.
New phenomenon: Independent small groups in drug sales
According to Holzer, criminologists are increasingly observing a new pattern: small groups of three to five people find a middleman, jointly purchase one kilogramme and distribute it independently. "This apparently also does not concern the major organisations. There is simply so much of it out there," said Holzer. Whether this will remain conflict-free in the long term is questionable, however — because there are "local kingpins" to whom such independent operators should not remain indifferent in the long term.
Strategy: Eliminating backers and financial foundations
The stated goal of the police is "that there is as little stuff out there as possible". To this end, the BK relies on international cooperation and the elimination of so-called "high value targets" — the most significant actors in the networks. Pursuing individual grammes is "a waste of resources," Holzer emphasised. "We want the large quantities and the backers. We want seizures and above all to cut off the financial foundation of the cartels."
In the long term, the aim is to prevent cocaine from reaching Austria in the first place. Cartels recover from setbacks relatively quickly, Holzer admitted — "but it is not the case that the vacuum is filled the next day". Every successful operation noticeably disrupts the business.
Source: Kleine Zeitung