From Latin America to Europe: West Africa’s Rising Role in Cocaine Trade

West Africa has become an increasingly important transit point in the global cocaine trade, according to new research by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

With European demand rising and direct routes from Latin America facing tighter enforcement, traffickers are shifting operations through ports in countries such as Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, and Sierra Leone.

The report highlights how criminal groups from the Western Balkans, particularly Albanian- and Slavic-speaking networks, have entrenched themselves in the region. These groups are now considered among Europe’s most powerful cocaine traffickers, managing logistics, bribes, and transport chains that connect South American producers to European markets.

Large seizures in Cape Verde and Ghana in recent years underscore the scale of the trade. U.S. officials say more than 30 tonnes of cocaine have been intercepted in cooperation with West African authorities since 2020. However, experts warn that without stronger governance and regional coordination, West Africa risks becoming a permanent corridor for global drug trafficking.

The report also stresses that while seizures demonstrate law enforcement success, they may also reveal just how deeply the networks are embedded.