West Africa: A New Route for Drugs Bound for Europe

Spanish Translation of the Week

According to a report presented in Bogota by the Police Community of Latin America (Ameripol) and the European Union, in the last decade, West Africa has been established as a new route for Europe-bound cocaine produced in Latin America. Due to its proximity to the African coast, Spain has become a key zone of entry for drugs consumed in Europe. The report called Africa an emerging drug "warehouse".

África occidental se ha convertido en la última década en la nueva ruta de la cocaína producida en América Latina para llegar a Europa. España, por su proximidad a las costas africanas, se ha consolidado como una zona clave para la entrada de la droga que se consume en el continente. Esta es la principal conclusión de un informe presentado en Bogotá por la Comunidad de Policías de América, Ameripol, en colaboración con la UE.

This article has been translated from Spanish. Click here to read the original version on El Pais.

Ameripol warned that the importance of this route should not be inflated, however, as the majority of the cocaine that is brought into Europe, particularly Spain, continues to be transported by sea directly from Latin America. The report estimated that 30% of cocaine bound for Europe travels via the African route, and urged European authorities to pay special attention to the Canary Islands, which are believed to be a strategic location for cocaine originating from Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela that is destined for Europe.

Citing data from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), Ameripol stated that Spain is the principal point of entry for cocaine and cannabis entering the European continent. Spain is also one of the countries with the highest consumption rates, after Italy, the UK and Germany. Spain is also the European nation that has confiscated the largest amount of drugs, as increased cooperation between police forces in Latin America and Europe have led to a number of successful drug- trafficking busts.

The drug-entry "hot-spot" in Africa identified by the report is comprised of Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo. Drug traffickers monitor and utilize the political situations in each of these countries to determine where to conduct business.

The report identified five routes that transport cocaine from Colombia to Europe. The first goes around South Africa, through the Suez Canal and then on to Romania. The second travels through the Suez Canal to the Balkans, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Italy. The third passes by the Caribbean, to Portugal, and then to Spain. The fourth route makes a stop in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and the final route is the African rote, which uses West African nations as a bridge to connect with Spain and from there to all of Europe.

Ameripol studied closely the state of drug trafficking in Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Panama. One of the report's most interesting findings was that Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil are the first places that drug traffickers transport drugs they wish to distribute to Africa and Europe, while Central America and the Caribbean are used as warehouses and points of redistribution for drugs bound for the United States. These trends demonstrate the "globalization of criminal organizations."

Ameripol concluded that it is impossible to determine the amount of drugs that pass through Africa and go on to Europe. What is certain, however, is that drug markets in Africa are growing, that more routes are being established, and that new criminal organizations are being formed. Without international cooperation, and the cooperation of the global police community, it will be impossible to stop the spread of global drug trafficking.

Article translated by Natalia Diaz, Staff Intern for the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center.

Photo attribution to UNODC, report on Transnational Organized Crime in West Africa.