Switzerland's flourishing cocaine market presents law enforcement challenge

In Switzerland, five tonnes of cocaine are consumed every year, Swiss public broadcaster RTS reports. The drug arrives from Latin America, then transits European ports before reaching our shores. Faced with this white powder, police and customs officers are not on an equal footing with drug traffickers. In eastern Switzerland, on the border with Austria, customs officers recently found a large quantity of drugs hidden in a car - a seemingly ordinary vehicle modified by drug traffickers. A hiding place was built into the vehicle, accessed by activating a complex mechanism: in particular, the gearbox had to be put into reverse, the boot opened and a magnet used to open it. “The vehicles are always different, with different covers and sometimes very modern opening mechanisms,” explained Michael Zimmermann, team leader at St. Gallen customs, on RTS's 19h30 programme on Friday. Between border guards and smugglers, it's a perpetual game of cat and mouse. “They're always adapting, very ...