Chris Dalby
Chris Dalby is a seasoned investigative journalist and director of World of Crime, a consultancy specializing in organized crime and transnational drug trafficking. With over a decade of experience, including as a former managing editor at InSight Crime, Chris has extensively researched how drug trafficking dynamics evolve over time. He is the author of "CJNG - A Quick Guide to Mexico's Deadliest Cartel" and the editor-in-chief of the Sports and Crime Briefing.
In 2024, Chris advised the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the UK National Crime Agency, and France’s Office Anti-Stupéfiants on emerging narcotics threats. His fieldwork spans Latin America, Europe, and the UK, uncovering critical vulnerabilities in port security and customs processes.
Session
Cocaine smugglers are outpacing enforcement, with chemically concealed cocaine—hidden in textiles, plastics, industrial goods, and more—rendering traditional detection methods nearly useless. This evolving trafficking technique bypasses X-rays, sniffer dogs, and routine container inspections, exposing the glaring inadequacies of current drug policy and enforcement strategies.
Authorities are woefully unprepared. A 2024 survey of 21 ports across Europe and the UK revealed no specific policies or technologies to detect liquid cocaine, except a single mobile lab in Rotterdam. Some ports were unaware this method even existed. Port executives acknowledge they have no idea how much is slipping through their gates. The recent drop in cocaine seizures at major ports like Rotterdam and Antwerp does not signify success; instead, traffickers are exploiting smaller, less monitored ports.
This presentation will examine:
Detection Failures: Why liquid cocaine remains virtually invisible to current technologies and the consequences for law enforcement.
Policy and Training Gaps: The complete lack of structured responses in most ports, leaving customs and frontline officers ill-equipped to combat this threat.
Traffickers’ Advantage: How the move to chemically concealed cocaine is reshaping trafficking routes and challenging global drug policy.
By spotlighting these failures and proposing pragmatic solutions—such as international collaboration, advanced detection technologies, and urgent policy innovation—this talk will show how to confront a crisis authorities are barely beginning to understand.