The case
In Switzerland the distribution of cocaine is in the hands of criminal organisations, including those from the Balkans. The ‘Ndrangheta concentrates primarily on large-scale drug importation into Europe and partly controls its operations from Switzerland. Other smaller groups, such as Turkish-Kurdish networks, are also active. Unlike previously assumed, these criminal networks work together rather than acting as isolated units, replacing the old notion of impenetrable clans.
The commentary
Drugs are mainly transported overland from the major European ports, hidden in false bottoms or other sophisticated hiding places in cars and lorries. Large consignments are often smuggled in convoys of vehicles to avoid random checks. The import of cocaine in containers by cargo ship is the exception rather than the rule. Drug traffickers prefer to transport the cocaine by road, as the risk of border controls between the Netherlands and Switzerland is low (Swissinfo.ch)
