Detection rates of cocaine in European Wastewater have increased
The study shows that detection rates increased last year compared to 2024, according to research published today, while MDMA—the active ingredient in the recreational drug ecstasy—experienced a clear decline.
The study describes “a pattern of drug consumption that is widespread, diverse, and constantly evolving,” stated Lauren Nolan, director of the European Union Drug Agency (EUDA, formerly EMCDDA), which conducted the research in collaboration with the SCORE network of researchers.
Samples were collected daily from municipal wastewater over a one-week period between March and May 2025 in 115 cities across 25 countries (23 EU member states, Norway, and Turkiye).
Wastewater samples, representing a total population of 72 million people, were analyzed to detect residues of ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and cannabis.
While the presence of residues of the last three substances varied from city to city, ketamine levels increased in most locations last year.
Overall ketamine residue levels rose by nearly 41% between 2024 and 2025, with the highest concentrations recorded in cities in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Cocaine levels also increased—by 22% in 2025—and remained high in cities across Western and Southern Europe, particularly in Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands, although residues were detected in the majority of Western European cities, according to the report.
In contrast, MDMA levels declined in most of the studied cities between 2024 and 2025.
This decrease was most pronounced in the wastewater of cities in Germany, Austria, and Slovenia. Researchers noted that it “was greater than what had been observed in 2020, when almost half of the cities had shown reductions during the COVID-19 pandemic-related nightclub closures.”
Furthermore, wastewater analysis revealed day-to-day fluctuations in drug use: in three out of four studied cities, residues of benzoylecgonine—the main metabolite of cocaine—and MDMA were higher on weekends (Friday through Monday) than on weekdays.
Sources: AFP via ANA-MPA
