In 2025, the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp are facing a striking new trend. Not the familiar smuggling of cocaine or synthetic drugs, but a new player: large shipments of cannabis from Canada. What initially appeared to be a few isolated incidents has now proven to be an organized and growing smuggling flow. This recent development shows that criminal activity is constantly adapting—and that legalization merely provides the context, not the cause.

Legalization Plays a Role, but Is Not the Culprit

Since 2018, Canada has fully regulated recreational cannabis, with hundreds of licensed producers, strict quality controls, and a robust production infrastructure. This has led to a large supply of cannabis, which some illegal networks see as an opportunity to serve the European market.

It is important to emphasize that Canada’s legal market itself does not supply illegal exports. These shipments come from parallel production, small illegal growers, and criminal networks that exploit the large volumes and logistical possibilities a country like Canada offers. Legalization does not create the problem in itself, but it does form a backdrop in which these smuggling routes can more easily emerge.

In Europe, policymakers are now taking a closer look at legalization. They are questioning whether current policies strike the right balance between regulation and preventing illegal exports. However, the recent record seizures show that the issues mainly stem from illegal activities outside the legal supply chain—not from legal production itself.

Sophisticated Smuggling Methods

What makes the Canadian cannabis route distinctive is the creativity with which shipments are concealed. Containers filled with potting soil, flat-pack garden sheds, industrial machinery, and even speedboats on flatracks have been used to transport large quantities of cannabis to Europe. These are professional operations, not amateurs trying their luck once.

This approach shows that the smuggling route has been developing for quite some time. Networks learn from previous attempts, adapt their methods, and gradually increase volumes until they attract the attention of law enforcement. Only when quantities rise and shipments grow larger do the first signals appear in the statistics.

Why Criminal Networks Are Massively Switching to This Route

The choice for Canadian cannabis is purely business-driven. Criminal networks focus on price, risk, and return. At present, this route offers several clear advantages:

Attractive Margins

Purchase prices in Canada are relatively low, while sales prices in the Netherlands, Scandinavia, or the United Kingdom can be much higher. This makes the profit per kilo substantial.

Low Risk of Detection—Until Recently

For a long time, Canadian shipments attracted little attention from customs authorities. The focus was on routes from South America, allowing this smuggling flow to remain largely unnoticed.

Milder Legal Consequences

Compared to cocaine or other hard drugs, penalties for cannabis are often lower. This makes the route attractive for networks looking to spread their risks.

Because of this combination, cannabis has become a logical choice: relatively safe profits with significant potential, especially in markets where production remains illegal.

European Ports Step Up Enforcement

The recent record seizures have served as a wake-up call for European ports. Customs authorities in Rotterdam and Antwerp have shifted their focus to North American shipments, giving containers from Canada, the United States, and Thailand a higher risk profile.

There is intensive cooperation between ports, law enforcement agencies, and international partners. New analytical tools are being applied to cargo flows, and pressure on illegal growers within Canada itself is also increasing. Illegal production that benefits from legal channels is becoming increasingly difficult.

Crime Always Adapts

The Canadian cannabis route demonstrates that criminal activity is constantly evolving. Networks continuously search for the most profitable and least risky routes, using new markets and logistical opportunities to their advantage.

This is not a problem caused by legalization. Legality merely provides a framework in which certain illegal networks can maneuver more easily. The real drivers are criminal innovation, market demand, and existing logistical infrastructure.

A New Reality for European Ports

The situation requires ports, law enforcement agencies, and policymakers to rethink how they view cannabis. Where cocaine and heroin once dominated attention, cannabis flows must now also be taken seriously. It is a constant struggle between legal trade, illegal initiatives, and international cooperation.

Recent developments show that oversight must become smarter, and that policy and enforcement need each other to effectively tackle illegal flows. It is a lesson in how dynamic crime and trade are—and how important it is to fully understand the broader context.

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