Drug seizures in the West African Sahel region have seen a dramatic increase, as outlined in a recent UN report released on Friday, April 19.

The report highlights the concerning trend of the conflict-affected region emerging as a significant corridor for drug trafficking.

According to the report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, in 2022 alone, authorities seized a staggering 1,466 kilograms (equivalent to 3,232 pounds) of cocaine in countries such as Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

This amount is notably higher compared to an average of just 13 kilograms (28.7 pounds) seized annually between 2013 and 2020.

Cocaine is the most frequently intercepted drug in the Sahel, trailing behind only cannabis resin, as indicated in the report.

Recent events further underscore the severity of the situation. Senegal, which shares a border with the Sahel, recently announced a record-breaking cocaine seizure.

Authorities intercepted a staggering 1,137 kilograms of cocaine, valued at approximately $146 million. This seizure marked the largest ever intercepted on land and occurred near an artisanal mine in the eastern part of the country.

In December last year, the Senegalese navy intercepted a total of 3 tons of cocaine at sea, further emphasizing the scale of the challenge posed by drug trafficking in the Sahel.

Sahel Prime For Drug Trade

The Sahel’s geographical position, situated south of the Sahara desert and stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea, inherently positions it as a prime transit route for the rising volume of cocaine originating from South America and bound for Europe.

The trafficking has detrimental impacts on both peace and health, locally and globally, said Amado Philip de Andrés, UNODC Regional Representative in West and Central Africa.

“The involvement of various armed groups in drug trafficking continues to undermine peace and stability in the region,” said Philip de Andrés.

The report said the drug trade provides financial resources to armed groups in the Sahel, where Islamic extremist networks have flourished as the region struggles with a recent spate of coups.

Increased trafficking networks in the region are spilling out onto local markets and leading to higher drug consumption, said Lucia Bird. Bird is the director of the West Africa Observatory of Illicit Economies at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

“We’ve had reports of rising crack cocaine consumption in Agadez, Niger driven by payment in kind. Smaller traffickers get paid in drugs and offload it onto local markets because they don’t have the contacts in more lucrative consumption destinations.”
Lucia Bird

On Monday, April 15, a patrol in southwest Niger made a crucial interception, seizing a shipment valued at $50,000 containing cannabis and Tramadol, an opioid painkiller pill.

According to Bird, an expert in the field, another noteworthy trend in the region involves the direct trade of Moroccan hashish for South American cocaine through West Africa.

This practice, which has been evolving since 2020, eliminates the necessity for cash transactions and capitalizes on the price disparities of drugs between continents.

Bird explains that this approach amplifies the volume of drugs transported overland, with shipments passing through West African ports and traversing some of the most conflict-ridden areas of the Sahel.

The UN report added, that corruption and money laundering are major enablers of drug trafficking and recent seizures and arrests revealed that the political elite, community leaders, and leaders of armed groups facilitate the drug trade in the Sahel,

“States in the Sahel region — along with the international community — must take urgent, coordinated, and comprehensive action to dismantle drug trafficking networks,” said Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa.