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Even first-world countries in Europe “have been hard hit”, he said, with their ports described as “drug hubs” and “safe terrain for narcos”.
In the European Union, half of all homicides and more than a quarter of illegal firearms seizures are linked to drug trafficking, he added.
“Members can just consider just how many lives have been lost,” said Mr Shanmugam, pointing to the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and the United Kingdom as examples.
In Belgian city Antwerp, there have been hundreds of shootings, grenade attacks, fires and bombings in the last decade, with many linked to gang-related violence to do with the cocaine trade, said Mr Shanmugam.
Antwerp’s mayor has described the situation as a much bigger threat than the 2016 Brussels bombings that killed 32 people.
“When terrorists attack, it becomes big news,” said Mr Shanmugam. “But with drug violence, it gets ignored, even though it is much bigger and a more continuous threat, which affects many more people. And really, this should be taken more seriously.”
Belgian customs seized a record amount of cocaine last year, and they were not able to burn the drugs quickly enough, said Mr Shanmugam.
“Customs officials now tell the media that they will never win the war against the cartels,” he continued.
He then highlighted a United Nations report on how 18 out of 21 countries in Latin America are the main sources for the transit of cocaine.
In Mexico, murders, abductions and forced disappearances happen almost every day because of turf wars between drug cartels, said Mr Shanmugam.
Nearly 450,000 people have been killed since 2006, and a “significant number” are believed to be linked to drugs and the drug trade, he added.
