EU Drug Market: Amphetamine — Prices and purities

Amphetamine retail prices and purities

Generally speaking, amphetamine is a relatively inexpensive stimulant drug, with a retail price of less than EUR 20 per gram and half of the EU countries reporting prices of between EUR 9 and EUR 19 in 2021 (range: EUR 7 to 59). The drug is typically sold in units of 1 gram, or multiples thereof. In 2021 the typical price for 1 gram of amphetamine sold on darknet markets was EUR 10.

Retail-level price and purity data are available for the period 2018-2021 from 16 European countries (15 EU Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden) and Norway) (see Figure Retail-level price and purity of amphetamine in a selection of EU Member States and Norway, 2018-2021).

Some countries provided data on multiple years. The data can be plotted as price versus purity, with the resulting figure split into sectors, with the x-axis divided at the average price (EUR 17) and the y-axis divided at the average purity (24 %). When looking at the data in this way, several observations can be made.

First, it can be seen that in both Belgium and the Netherlands, low-price and high-purity amphetamine is found on the retail market. This can be explained by the high levels of amphetamine production in these countries, since it follows that lower prices are typically found close to the source of production. It is also interesting to note that the average purities reported by Belgium and the Netherlands increased between 2018 and 2020, and although the reasons for this are unclear, it could be related to improvements in the production process.

The second observation is that the countries reporting above average prices and purities, that is Czechia, Norway, Slovakia and Sweden, are those that have historically been associated with high levels of use of synthetic stimulant drugs. It is worth mentioning that in Sweden, a country where injecting amphetamine has been established for many years, prices are not particularly high, and the purity is comparable to the Belgian and Dutch samples. Swedish consumers may be more discerning with regard to the product they buy, seeking a higher-grade of amphetamine.

The third observation is that the majority of the countries fall in the low-price and low-purity bottom left sector, reflecting the fact that amphetamine is of a lower grade in those markets. This may be due to adulteration or some other production-related reason. Ireland is noteworthy in this group in that the price there is close to the average, but the purity is the lowest of all those reported.

 

Source: EMCDDA. The source data for this graphic is available in the source table on this page.

Having data on price and purity is very helpful as it allows deeper analysis. For example, using these data it is also possible to develop estimates for the ‘price per pure gram’ (price per gram x 100/purity), which is a function of the price adjusted for purity (see Figure Estimated average retail price per pure gram in selected EU Member States and Norway, 2018-2021). This metric confirms that Belgium and the Netherlands hold prominent market positions, with average prices per pure gram of less than EUR 20. Despite being above average in absolute terms, the Swedish price per pure gram is comparatively low at around EUR 55. On the other hand, while the average retail price in Ireland is low, the low purity means that Ireland has one of the most expensive amphetamine markets in the EU adjusted for purity, with users paying around EUR 213 per pure gram. Prices per pure gram in Czechia showed a wide degree of variation, being calculated as EUR 425 in 2018 and EUR 101 in 2020. This may reflect the fact that amphetamine plays a minor role in the Czech drug market, where methamphetamine is by far the dominant synthetic stimulant drug.

 

Source: EMCDDA. The source data for this graphic is available in the source table on this page.

Adulterants in amphetamine

Amphetamine, when adulterated, tends to be cut with caffeine. While other non-psychoactive bulking substances such as creatine or different kinds of sugars (e.g. lactose or maltitol) may be present, they are rarely confirmed by standard analytical methods used in drug testing laboratories. Drug checking services are a good source of information about drug adulteration patterns as they analyse samples handed in by users. In 2021, a total of 909 samples sold as amphetamine were analysed by the Trans European Drug Information network (TEDI), which consists of 13 drug checking services operating in more than 40 European cities. Amphetamine was confirmed as the drug present in 863 of the samples, and the most common adulterant found was caffeine, found in 516 (60 %) of the samples. The next most common adulterant detected was creatine, found in just 25 (3 %) of the samples. Other illicit drugs were also detected in a small number of the samples, for example cocaine (17 samples), methamphetamine (6) and MDMA (4) (see Statistical Bulletin 2023: drug checking data).

Detailed information on adulteration of amphetamine is rarely available from law enforcement forensic services. An exception is a recent study of 5 647 retail-level drug samples seized in Poland between April 2016 and March 2020. Caffeine was found in 942 (74.5 %) of the 1 264 amphetamine-positive samples analysed (Żubrycka et al., 2022; Łukasz Półtorak, personal communication, February 2023).

In general, the levels of adulterants present in drug samples are rarely quantified. However, the Trimbos Institute, which runs a drug-checking service in the Netherlands, reported data from amphetamine samples collected and tested in 2021 (5.8 % out of a total of 10 302 drug samples submitted for testing) which found that one-third contained caffeine, at an average content of 47 % (Trimbos Institute, 2022).

Wholesale prices

At the wholesale level, amphetamine is generally sold in units of 1 kilogram. Between 2018 and 2021, 14 EU Member States and Norway reported some wholesale price data for amphetamine. However, for most countries, the data are not sufficiently complete to enable a robust analysis. From the data submitted, a large price range can be seen, from a minimum kilogram price of EUR 500 reported by Germany in 2020 to a maximum of EUR 55 000 reported by Malta in 2021. Six countries reported either the mean or mode prices for each year between 2018 and 2021, namely Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Latvia, Spain and Sweden (see Table Average wholesale prices reported by a selection of EU Member States, 2018-2021). The data show relative stability in wholesale prices between 2018 and 2021; however, Austria and Sweden reported a significant drop in 2021, from EUR 11 000 to EUR 6 000 in Austria and from EUR 5 245 to EUR 3 452 in Sweden.

Average wholesale prices reported by a selection of EU Member States, 2018-2021

	2018	2019	2020	2021
Austria	11 000	10 000	11 000	6 000
Croatia	2 100	2 050	2 100	2 050
Denmark	3734	3 333	3 330	3 340
Latvia	3 500	3 500	3 500	3 500
Spain*	13 585	12 997	11 935	11 540
Sweden	5 963	5 194	5 245	3 452

Note: * Spain reported the mean, while the other countries reported the mode wholesale price.
Source: EMCDDA.

Information provided by the Dutch National Police sheds light on the price of amphetamine in the main source country in the EU. In 2020, the wholesale price of amphetamine paste at source, that is coming out of illicit laboratories, in the Netherlands was EUR 600/kilogram, while the dry powder price was EUR 1 350/kilogram. In 2021, the price dropped to EUR 505/kilogram for paste and EUR 1 100/kilogram for dry powder. This price reduction in the main producing country in the EU may have influenced the drop in prices noted in Austria and Sweden. 

In 2021, 320 listings were identified on darknet markets, offering 1 kilogram of amphetamine and purporting to ship from Europe, with a typical price per kilogram of EUR 1 000 (range: EUR 476 to EUR 2 944). There were 12 listings offering 10 kilograms of amphetamine and when purchasing this quantity, the price dropped to an average of EUR 540/kilogram (range: EUR 170 to EUR 900). Such low prices suggest that this product may have been adulterated to a significant degree. However, no purity analysis was available to confirm this.

Amphetamine base oil prices

As amphetamine base oil may be exported from the country of origin for processing into amphetamine sulfate in other countries, it is useful to examine the data available on the price of base oil.

Data supplied by the Dutch National Police show that the price of 1 litre of amphetamine base oil at source, that is, coming out of illicit laboratories in the Netherlands, can vary from year to year, but is relatively cheap, considering that base oil is a comparatively pure substance. In 2019, 1 litre of base oil cost EUR 1 090, and in 2020 the price dropped to EUR 770, probably due to reduced demand during the COVID-19 lockdown phase, and then rose to EUR 920 in 2021. In a study of expert opinion regarding drug markets during the first six months of the COVID-19 restrictions, it was reported that the demand for synthetic drugs typically used in recreational settings significantly diminished because of the closure of clubs and social venues and the cancellation of events such as music festivals. Consequently, orders for synthetic drugs from producers in the Netherlands declined and, according to the Dutch respondent to an EMCDDA expert opinion survey, the wholesale prices of amphetamine (and MDMA) decreased markedly (EMCDDA and Europol, 2020).

The available data also that indicate that amphetamine oil was offered to a limited extent on darknet drug markets in 2021, and is typically referred to as ‘A-oil’ in that environment. In this dataset, 44 amphetamine oil listings were identified, 36 purporting to ship from Germany and 8 from the Netherlands. The quantities most frequently listed were 10 millilitres (6), 50 millilitres (6) (although no price data was available for these amounts) and 5 litres (6). The typical price for 100 millilitres (4) was EUR 275 and EUR 10 529 for 5 litres (6), representing EUR 2 750/litre for the smaller quantity and EUR 2 106/litre for the larger quantity, indicating some evidence of discounting for the purchase of larger quantities. Vendors appear to use the pH value of the amphetamine as an indicator of quality. For example, listing titles stated ‘pure amphetamine oil 100 ml ph value 12.3’ or ‘PURE AMPHETAMINE OIL, PH VALUE 12.3 OUT 100ML ITS GUARANTEED AT LEAST 250GRAMS OF PURE SPEED’.

Source data

Retail-level price and purity of amphetamine in a selection of EU Member States and Norway, 2018-2021

Country Year	Price (EUR)	Amphetamine purity (%)
Ireland 2019	15	6.7
Ireland 2018	15	7.4
Lithuania 2018	10.75	11.5
Bulgaria 2021	14.8	12.8
Croatia 2019	11.5	13.2
Poland 2020	7.11	13.43
Croatia 2018	12.5	13.9
Croatia 2020	12	14.7
Poland 2018	9	14.79
Czechia 2018	63.4	14.9
Bulgaria 2019	10.5	15.1
Bulgaria 2020	11.6	15.4
Bulgaria 2018	11.5	15.8
Luxembourg 2018	10.83	16.2
Croatia 2021	12	16.3
Lithuania 2019	6	16.7
Portugal 2018	31.96	18.4
Latvia 2018	10.68	19.63
Hungary 2019	9.6	19.9
Hungary 2018	9.4	21.7
Denmark 2019	15.3	22
Denmark 2018	16	24
Slovakia 2018	32.5	25.7
Norway 2019	30.45	28
Sweden 2019	20	34
Slovakia 2019	38.13	35.7
Belgium 2018	9.6	35.75
Sweden 2018	23	38
Belgium 2019	8	42.46
Sweden 2020	20	43
Czechia 2020	46.3	45.9
Netherlands 2018	7.3	46.4
Netherlands 2020	7.58	49.57
Belgium 2020	7.2	51.2

Estimated average retail price per pure gram in selected EU Member States and Norway, 2018-2021 (EUR/pure gram)

Country	Average, EUR/pure gram
Netherlands	15.5
Belgium	19.16
Hungary	45.67
Latvia	54.41
Sweden	54.78
Poland	57.09
Lithuania	59.4
Luxembourg	66.85
Denmark	68.04
Bulgaria	81.9
Croatia	82.62
Norway	108.75
Slovakia	115.03
Portugal	173.7
Czechia	180.43
Ireland	212.77

Translation table

ID	Term
1	Filter by year
5	Select a country
100	Average price
110	Average purity
200	Purity (%)

References

Consult the list of references used in this resource.