The UN agency warned that drug traffickers are becoming increasingly innovative, creating new synthetic substances, diversifying trafficking routes and targeting emerging markets across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Global drug markets are undergoing a rapid transformation, with organised crime groups exploiting new technologies, geopolitical instability and the emergence of powerful synthetic drugs to expand into new markets, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
In its World Drug Report 2026 released on Friday, the UN agency warned that drug traffickers are becoming increasingly innovative, creating new synthetic substances, diversifying trafficking routes and targeting emerging markets across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
UNODC executive director Monica Juma said the world was witnessing an unprecedented surge in new drugs, many of which are more potent and dangerous than traditional narcotics.
"We have seen an unprecedented spike in new types of drugs on the market, and worryingly, some are more potent or dangerous than before," Juma said.
