MILDECA conference on drug money

Where does drug money go in France? Yesterday, a conference on the subject was held at the Ecole Militaire in Paris. Organized by the Mission Interministérielle de Lutte contre les Drogues et Conduites Addictives (MILDECA), this conference reported on the various lucrative drug trades on our soil. The aim of the researchers was to establish an average turnover for each drug, and to measure the profits of each trafficking channel.

Cannabis still ahead

Unsurprisingly, cannabis leads the market with 285 tonnes sold per year, for average sales of 1.117 billion euros. Cannabis thus accounts for half of the total sales generated by drugs on French soil.

One of the astonishing statistics in this report is the evolution of canna sales. Sales have increased by 33% in 5 years. Yet the quantity consumed has risen only slightly over the same period. The explanation lies rather in the increase in THC content in the products, which is passed on to the sales price. Researchers do not include in the price increase the security factor, i.e. the penal pressure on dealers to increase their margins. These security factors force criminal organizations to hire lookouts, nannies and small retailers.

The study highlights cannabis trafficking organizations and their average annual earnings per person. In France, researchers count 1096 network heads who shoot close to 383,000€ per year, each from their illegal activities. Wholesalers earn an average of nearly €65,000 a year. Semi-wholesalers and street vendors earn an average of 8500 € per year. It should be noted that the network heads share €421 million of the 1,117 billion generated by cannabis sales.

The profitability of cannabis for a dealer, whatever his place on the trafficking ladder, is between 30 and 40%. For the first time, MILDECA has included self-employed people in its calculations: self-cultivators who act as dealers and occasional sellers. These people are estimated to earn around 5000 per year.

Powdery nose, maximum profitability

The report stresses the strong presence of cocaine in the French drug scene. Currently, 15 tons of coke are consumed each year, i.e. 5 times more than in 2005. Total white powder traffic is estimated at 902 million a year. Visit 33 sponsors in France are said to earn around 15 million euros a year each. The cocaine wholesaler earns €285,000 a year, while the retailer can get by on 25 000€ per year. According to MILDECA, the enormous profitability of cocaine stems from the numerous cuts at various levels of the trade. A cocaine investor/dealer can expect to make up to 60% profit on the amount initially invested.

Among other drugs on the rise, ecstasy, MDMA and amphetamines totalled 53.2 million euros in sales in France. However, these figures date from 2010. They do not take into account the recent rise in popularity of synthetic pills. Throughout the report, In the case of MDMA, there are high and low ranges. The low range for MDMA traffic is estimated at 13.2 million euros, while the high range is 71.2 million euros.

Théo Caillart