The Weakness of States

S01 E02 • Friday, Nov 28, 2025 • Nov 28

In the 2000s, Latin American cartels discovered a new El Dorado in Northern Europe. In Rotterdam, the continent's leading port, street gangs joined forces with Colombians to build their empire. Fueled by explosive demand and exorbitant profits, the cocaine trade unleashes an unprecedented wave of violence: assassinations, shootings, threats against the state. Overwhelmed, governments organize a counterattack. In utmost secrecy, European police forces infiltrate the criminals' encrypted communication networks. One of the biggest drug busts in history sends tens of thousands of traffickers to prison. But, to everyone's astonishment, the networks re-establish themselves almost exactly as they were, as if by magic. The war on drugs is a never-ending war.