A region affected by the traffic of cocaine

As every country of West Africa, Ivory Coast has to deal with a new threat : massive drug traffic. Indeed, more and more cocaine passes through West Africa before joining the European market.
Indeed, the direct route from South America to Europe is highly controlled while the consumption of drug in Europe is increasing, contrary to the American consumption. Then, the narco-traffickers have to find new ways. The African route has several advantages for criminals.

Drugs caught being destroyed

First, the police is very weak : very few agents, few arms and unadapted building. Moreover, the corruption rate is high in Africa. Then, even when they are caught, trafficker have high chances not to have any punishment, because there is no prison where to keep them or because an officer ask to deliver them. Because of poverty, governments are not willing to stop this traffic. Richer countries, like Ivory Coast, may be less corrupted but they have more infrastructures, making the traffic easier. Then to go against that phenomenon, international cooperation is being created. European countries and the United Nations send men and arms to the western African countries but it is not enough compared with the importance of the traffic.

Furthermore, West Africa is ideally located for such a traffic. From South America, it is the nearest destination over the Atlantic Ocean and it is just under the soft belt of Europe. Thus, narco-traffickers send huge quantities of cocaine to West Africa by boats or by planes. There, they split the packs so that it would be easier to pass the European boarders with them.

The ideal way for narco-traffickers

However, while a huge amount of cocaine is passing by West Africa, very little is consumed is that part of the world.

Floriane

Sources :

• https://www.unodc.org/westandcentralafrica/en/cote-d-ivoire.html
• http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/11/magazine/11Trade-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&
• http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/09/21/africa.drug.cartels/index.html?eref=edition
• http://www.csmonitor.com/1987/0319/odrug.html