Customs seized more cocaine and less cannabis in the first half of 2026 as criminals use increasingly diverse smuggling methods

Publication date 16-07-2026, 15:18 | Last update 16-07-2026, 16:41 | News

In the first half of 2026, the Customs Administration of the Netherlands (Customs) seized 20% more cocaine than in the first six months of 2025. By contrast, customs officers seized 62% less cannabis than during the same period a year earlier. This becomes clear from Customs' half-year figures on drugs and tobacco.

Between January and June of this year, customs officers seized a total of 19,332 kilograms of cocaine, up from 16,104 kilograms in the first half of 2025. Cannabis seizures fell from 20,923 kilograms to 7,894 kilograms over the same period. Much of the cannabis was smuggled by air. There were also many seizures of illegal cigarettes and tobacco, around 80% of which entered the country in sea containers. The main ports of Rotterdam and Schiphol remain the most important entry and exit points.

Criminals are becoming increasingly inventive and unpredictable. Alongside drugs, the smuggling of tobacco products has clearly become an important source of criminal income. It is therefore crucial that Customs remains flexible and resilient, while strengthening national and international cooperation.

A hands-on, varied approach

The pressure from organised crime remains as high as ever. Customs has recorded an increase in cocaine seizures at the Port of Rotterdam and continues to intercept cannabis at ports and airports. Customs will therefore continue to focus its efforts on the main ports, as well as on smaller ports. At this halfway point in the year, however, it is still too early to speak of structural changes in the figures.

Director-General of Customs Nanette van Schelven said: “Alongside cannabis, the smuggling of tobacco products has become a regular source of income for criminals. At the same time, we see smuggling methods constantly changing. Both cannabis and tobacco smuggling increasingly involve cross-border subversive organised crime. That is why we are taking a broad approach: intensified checks and closer cooperation with partners in the Netherlands and abroad. Customs is, and will remain, vigilant and innovative in tackling illegal trade and smuggling.”

Changes in criminals' manner of working

Customs identifies several routes and methods. There is a huge worldwide supply of cocaine, with major seizures being made in southern European countries. This highlights the importance of EU-wide cooperation within the European partnership EUCAB and the European Customs Authority (EUCA), in which seizure data and insights are shared and in which the Netherlands plays a leading role. The risk of drop-offs, in which packages of drugs are thrown overboard from large ships and then collected by smaller, faster boats, means that Customs is also carrying out more frequent checks at smaller ports in the Netherlands.

This year, a drop-off was reported off the coast of Zeeland. Customs is therefore working more closely with partners, such as the Coastguard. We also work with municipalities with smaller harbours and with harbour masters, for example to improve camera surveillance. Other smuggling methods call for innovation, for example to improve the detection of chemically concealed drugs, or for additional checks, such as those carried out in private aviation.

The main countries of origin for drugs include Panama, Ecuador and Peru. The country of dispatch may differ from the country in which the goods were last loaded before being shipped to the European Union.

In the first half of the year, Customs concluded cooperation agreements with Peru, Canada, Nigeria, Brazil and Singapore. This international cooperation is important in tackling drug smuggling: it enables Customs to detect drugs as early as possible, for example through agreements on the exchange of information.

Regional differences

Cocaine smuggling

The figures show that the Port of Rotterdam remains a major hub for cocaine smuggling. A sharp decline has been seen at the Port of Vlissingen, and no cocaine seizures have been recorded at the Port of Amsterdam so far this year. Customs is seeing a higher number of smaller seizures linked to rip-offs, in which criminals conceal drugs in, for example, sports bags placed inside containers.
Larger quantities are increasingly being found hidden in the cargo itself, such as inside machine parts.

Customs is continuing its efforts at the main ports. At the port of Rotterdam, for example, Customs has commissioned a study into the feasibility of scanning containers immediately on arrival.

At Schiphol Airport, significantly fewer passengers carrying cocaine have been found than in previous years. In the first six months of 2026, cocaine was found on 22 passengers, compared to 103 passengers during the same period in 2025. Similar declines have also been recorded in other EU countries.

Synthetic drugs and precursors

Synthetic drugs are increasingly being shipped via neighbouring EU Member States rather than the Netherlands to evade detection. Drug precursors are often shipped from China via e-commerce channels. In 2026, the number of consignments (16 compared with 17) and the quantities involved (4,505 kg compared with 4,623 kg) are roughly the same as in 2025.

Cannabis shifts to air freight

Customs has observed that cannabis smuggling remains an integral part of criminals’ business model. Although the quantities of cannabis seized at the Port of Rotterdam have fallen, they have risen at the Port of Vlissingen (both inbound and outbound) and in air freight. There, Customs still records many cannabis seizures: 2,059 kilograms were seized in the first half of 2026, compared with 1,127 kilograms in the first half of 2025. Other countries are also seeing a shift towards cannabis being smuggled by air rather than by sea.

Illegal cigarettes and tobacco

In the first half of this year, Customs made many seizures of illegal cigarettes and tobacco products, including more than 106 million cigarettes. Around 80% of these products entered the country in sea containers. Because of its high excise duty rates, the Netherlands is becoming increasingly attractive for international tobacco fraud.

Combating tobacco fraud

Revenue from tobacco excise duty for the Dutch Treasury fell considerably last year, and this trend appears to be continuing this year. According to Customs, there are three main reasons for the lower revenue: people are giving up smoking, buying their tobacco products abroad, or switching to illegal tobacco products. Customs is therefore using various methods to combat tobacco fraud. Under the legislative proposal “Camera surveillance in relation to excise duties”, Customs will soon be able to use cameras and drones in monitoring compliance with excise legislation. For example, during a traffic check, to observe and investigate suspicious situations.

Combating tobacco fraud is impossible without national and international cooperation. The strength of enforcement lies in working together as a team. Customs and the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) work together on many fronts, such as in the SMOKE joint task force. The team is being expanded by around 25%, enabling us to tackle the illegal trade even more effectively.

Barriers and innovation

Customs is also committed to disrupting criminal work processes and raising barriers against criminal activity. One such barrier is the licensing requirement for cigarette-manufacturing machines, in force in the Netherlands since 2023. This enables Customs to act against illegal factories. Not only when they are operational, but also during the set-up and dismantling phases. This approach now appears to be bearing fruit. In recent years, Customs has found fewer illegal production sites in the Netherlands. Last year, it detected one illegal cigarette factory, two sites in the set-up or dismantling phase, and three illegal waterpipe tobacco production sites. In Belgium, by contrast, a total of 11 illegal factories were dismantled last year. In the first half of 2026, a single illegal waterpipe tobacco production site was shut down in the Netherlands.

Another example of innovation is the recently launched trial of a “cigarette carton recognition algorithm”, designed to identify smugglers carrying suitcases full of cigarettes among passenger luggage at airports. The algorithm flags suitcases suspected of containing more than one carton of cigarettes, allowing officers to target their checks more effectively. The results of the trial are expected later this year.