Western Balkans criminal groups, among Europe’s most powerful cocaine traffickers, are increasingly embedding themselves in West Africa as the region rises in importance on smuggling routes from Latin America to the European Union, a new report reveals.
Europe’s growing demand for cocaine, tighter controls on direct shipments from Latin America, and the rapid expansion of West African maritime ports have made countries such as Senegal, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Cape Verde critical transit hubs.
Until now, the role of Albanian- and Slavic-speaking networks in the region had been poorly understood, Reuters reported.
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Researchers from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) said these groups have developed into some of Europe’s top criminal networks.
The groups have strengthened alliances with Dutch gangs and Brazil’s powerful Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) to consolidate their control across the global cocaine supply chain.
“That alliance, between Western Balkan groups and the PCC, is probably the most important alliance for moving cocaine into Europe right now,” said Sasa Djordevic, co-author and senior analyst at the GI-TOC.
The study calls for stronger cross-border cooperation among law enforcement agencies, port authorities, and other stakeholders, as well as improved intelligence-sharing and targeted action against brokers.
“As more of these highly organised and violent networks expand into West Africa, the risks to stability and security in the region grow significantly,” said Lucia Bird Ruiz-Benitez de Lugo, director of GI-TOC’s Observatory of Illicit Economies in West Africa.
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Image Credit: GOV.UK
