Over the past five years, cocaine consumption in Tallinn has increased more than threefold; according to wastewater analysis results, an average of about 650 grams is consumed daily in the capital, which amounts to approximately 30 million euros in monetary terms for 2023, writes Postimees.
If in 2020 the most common drug in wastewater after cannabis was amphetamine, since 2022 it has been cocaine.
"Everyone likes to use cocaine, and some like it very much," one dealer told Postimees. "But not everyone likes to pay for it," he added, referring to the price, which ranges from 120 to 150 euros per gram.
According to the source, there are no problems with the availability of cocaine, as, in addition to automated sales, "taxi drivers" circulate around the clock, delivering the drug themselves and earning at least 50 euros on each gram. Just three years ago, when purchasing through a Telegram chatbot, it was necessary to use a cryptocurrency wallet, but now many bots can be paid for via Apple Pay.
Estonia has found itself at the top of the European drug-related mortality rate not because of the most common drugs here, cannabis, cocaine, and amphetamine — almost half of these deaths are caused by synthetic opioids.
In its recently published annual report, the prosecutor's office noted that in 2023, charges were brought in almost all counties for the trafficking of at least half a kilogram of cocaine. "Just a few years ago, there were only a handful of charges for such volumes," the annual report states.
Criminal cases show that the cocaine business in Estonia has become large-scale: it is no longer the prerogative of a few "mules"; the substance is being moved in kilograms across the country. Recently, one person was convicted for trafficking approximately eight kilograms of cocaine. In another criminal case, nearly three kilograms of cocaine, among other substances, were ordered via the Telegram app from the Czech Republic to Estonia.
As production volumes in South America have led to a decrease in wholesale prices, Estonian criminals can acquire high-purity cocaine in Western and Southern Europe for two to three times cheaper than before.
The dealer who spoke with Postimees also confirmed that the wholesale price has dropped in recent years.
In November, the international investigative journalism organization OCCRP reported that many European drug cartels have switched to a new tactic: instead of active sales, they are increasingly storing cocaine and hiding it in caches. The main reason for this behavior is that the market is so oversaturated with cocaine that hiding the drug helps criminals manage the resulting surplus and avoid excessive drops in market prices. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) noted in its report that falling wholesale prices and the high purity of the substance contribute to increased consumption across all age groups.
Although cocaine is mainly associated with weekend parties, wastewater studies show that during this time, the concentration of its residues in the water increases only twofold, indicating significant consumption on weekdays as well.
Of course, this does not exclude cocaine use at parties. In the summer of 2023, a record daily volume of cocaine was recorded in the wastewater of Pärnu for Estonia: 2582 milligrams per 1000 residents per day. This is two and a half times higher than the average figure for Tallinn in the same year (984 milligrams per 1000 residents).
According to one anonymous user, cocaine is mainly consumed with alcohol: "If you start snorting [cocaine] while sober, anxiety kicks in, and it feels like you’re getting stuck. It’s best to do it after you’ve had a couple of drinks," he said.
However, combining the two only exacerbates addiction: "If you then spend a quiet evening at home and drink a couple of glasses of beer, your nose immediately starts itching, and the neurons in your brain demand their fix." This shows how the brain associates cocaine with alcohol and begins to expect the dopamine released when using the substance.
"Cocaine is an expensive hobby. Everyone owes each other, and in the mornings, you have to do the post-party accounting: who paid how much in cash, when the 'taxi drivers' came back at night," the source admitted, estimating that the real market volume in Tallinn exceeds 30 million euros a year, as calculations by Postimees have shown.
According to the user, in recent years, crack cocaine has also become more widespread, which some prepare at home for personal use rather than for sale. "It hits much harder than regular cocaine, but it doesn’t last as long," he noted.
In addition to cocaine, the consumption of other stimulants and drugs is also increasing. The concentration of amphetamine in Tallinn's wastewater rose by 18 percent last year.
