Drug trafficking, Europe’s poison

The spectre of drug trafficking haunts Europe. With ultra-violent criminal groups controlling most of the cocaine traffic, European police forces are overwhelmed. The epicenter of all trafficking is the Netherlands. A nation at the cutting edge of international drug trade and politics. This two-part film delves into the origins of European drug trafficking through the singular history of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Episode 1 - The wealth of a nation

For centuries, the Netherlands built its prosperity on mastery of the oceans, colonial conquest and a capitalism founded on global trade. But behind the facades of the splendid mansions lining Amsterdam's canals lies a forgotten history: that of a country that pioneered drug trafficking. From colonial smokehouses to Moroccan hashish and synthetic drugs, this first episode reveals how, over several centuries, Dutch economic history has created a grey zone between legality and criminality. A zone that paved the way for criminal organizations capable of a level of violence as yet unknown in Europe.

Episode 2 - The weakness of states

In the 2000s, Latin American cartels discovered a new Eldorado in Northern Europe. In Rotterdam, the continent's leading port, street gangs joined forces with Colombians to build their empire. Driven by explosive demand and delirious profitability, the cocaine trade unleashed an unprecedented wave of violence... assassinations, machine-gun attacks, threats against the state. Overwhelmed, governments organized a response. In the greatest secrecy, European police forces infiltrate the criminals' encrypted communications networks. One of the biggest raids in history sent tens of thousands of traffickers behind bars. But, to everyone's astonishment, the networks reconstituted themselves almost identically, as if by magic. The war on drugs is never-ending.