THE CABLE
A new report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says the Nigerian market tops the list of cocaine smuggling regions in Africa.
In The Global Report on Cocaine 2023 released on Thursday, the UN agency said the steep growth in supply has been matched by a similar swell in demand.
It said Nigerian traffickers often work in collaboration with their compatriots in other countries, particularly members of “cult groups” in European destination countries and those operating in Brazil.
The report noted that the role of Nigerians, however, is relatively important at mid-level and dealer levels rather than large-scale trafficking.
“Based on aggregate reporting to UNODC, by Nigeria and other countries, on the main cocaine trafficking routes during 2018-2021, trafficking of cocaine was reported from Nigeria to 20 countries or territories, including countries within the subregion (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Ghana, Senegal, Liberia), transit countries in Africa (Algeria, Ethiopia, Morocco), and countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region (Australia, China, Hong Kong, China, India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka), in the Near and Middle East/ South-West Asia (Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and in Europe (Turkiye, United Kingdom),” the report reads.
“Cocaine arrives in Nigeria via a variety of channels including bulk carrier vessels arriving at seaports such as Apapa, Tincan Island, and Onne: passenger flights into airports such as those of Lagos, Abuja, Enugu, and Kano: across land borders at various locations, including Seme (on the border with Benin) and llela (on the border with
Niger); and via parcels delivered by courier companies or postal services.
