West Africa is becoming a central node in global cocaine trafficking,as powerful criminal groups from the Western Balkans expand their footprint across the region,a new report has revealed.
Once operating largely behind the scenes,Albanian- and Slavic-speaking networks have now entrenched themselves in countries like Senegal,Guinea-Bissau,Sierra Leone,and Cape Verde. These nations,with expanding maritime ports and governance vulnerabilities,are being exploited as critical transit hubs for cocaine en route from Latin America to European markets. According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC),these groups have forged key alliances with Brazil’s notorious Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Dutch gangs,enabling multi-tonne shipments through the Gulf of Guinea. Cocaine is hidden in containerized and non-containerized shipments,repackaged in West African warehouses,and rerouted under legitimate cargo cover.
The Montenegrin Kavač and Škaljari clans and Albanian-speaking cartels are operating through local brokers who organize logistics,bribe officials,and manage storage and transport networks. These intermediaries often serve multiple groups and are pivotal to expanding operations. “As more of these highly organized and violent networks expand into West Africa,the risks to stability and security in the region grow significantly,” warned Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo of GI-TOC,citing increased corruption and potential violence. The report urges a three-pronged response: stronger law enforcement cooperation,better data sharing to map routes and financial flows,and smart targeted actions against brokers. Without coordinated action,West Africa risks becoming deeply embedded in the global drug economy,with far-reaching consequences.
United News - unews.co.za