Trafic de cocaïne : l’Afrique de l’Ouest est devenue une plaque tournante mondiale
A GI-TOC report reveals that 30% of European cocaine now passes through the region
A third of the cocaine consumed in Europe now passes through West Africa. This figure, which would have seemed improbable ten years ago, is now documented in a report published by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.
Unprecedented growth
Cocaine is the fastest-growing criminal market in West Africa between 2019 and 2025, according to the Global Organized Crime Index. By 2025, at least 30% of the cocaine consumed in Europe will transit through the region. This figure illustrates the scale of a phenomenon that has become structural.
Lucia Bird Ruiz, director of the Observatory of Illicit Economic Activities in West Africa at GI-TOC, explains the mechanics in her report published on March 11, 2026. Increased controls on direct routes between Latin America and Europe have pushed cartels to seek alternatives. West Africa, with its geographical position between the two continents, has become the ideal alternative corridor.
A transit that also poisons the region
The flow of drugs leaves its mark on the region. One of the most concerning effects documented in the report is the rise in local consumption. Some of the cocaine in transit is sold locally. In cities, crack cocaine is gaining ground, particularly in working-class neighborhoods.
Local healthcare systems, already under strain, lack the resources to cope with this emerging crisis. Addiction treatment facilities are scarce, and prevention campaigns remain inadequate given the scale of the problem.
African capitals in the crosshairs
West Africa is not an abstract entity in this report. Countries like Senegal, Guinea, and Ivory Coast regularly appear in seizures and international investigations. Just this Thursday, the Dakar Financial Judicial Pool opened a case involving a cocaine trafficking network in the upscale Almadies neighborhood.
Local authorities are redoubling their efforts. But criminal networks have a head start, resources, and international connections. The GI-TOC report serves as a warning: the problem is documented, visible, and will continue to worsen if nothing fundamentally changes in the fight against these networks.
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