Economic Consequences of Antidrug Policies in the European Union for a Transit Country: Spain as a Case Study

Initially accused by her European neighbours of being the gate of entry for drugs into the continent, Spain is now considered to be a wall to prevent illegal commodities and human trafficking making their way into Europe. There are also other intrinsically national-contextual factors for the ease and prevalence of money laundering in Spain such as the economic dependency on the building sector, the practical difficulties when trying to identify and control the source of illegal money and the brutal impact of the current economic crisis. In 2010, Spain introduced new anti-money laundering measures to address these issues. This paper will draw attention to several consequences of anti-drugs policies in relation to money laundering and corruption. This paper argues that current anti-drug policies are not fit for purpose and should not underestimate the complexities of the global context rather than focusing solely on Spain as an isolated nation-state.