West Africa becomes cocaine trafficking hub, AFP reports

West Africa has become a favoured route for traffickers moving cocaine from South America to Europe, AFP reported, citing recent seizures, officials and organised-crime experts.

In Liberia, police seized four tonnes of cocaine in July valued at $317 million. President Joseph Boakai said in August that drug trafficking was one of Liberia’s greatest threats after several large seizures. Former Liberian vice president Jewel Howard-Taylor was later arrested for alleged involvement in an international drug trafficking network.

The issue extends beyond Liberia. Lucia Bird, west Africa director at the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, told AFP that all states in the region are vulnerable because West Africa is positioned between Latin American production areas and European consumer markets.

A GI-TOC report published in March estimated that about 30 percent of the cocaine consumed in Europe in 2025 passed through West Africa. The report said the true scale remains difficult to measure because the trade is illegal and seizure data are not a reliable indicator.

Bird said the route is largely maritime. Improvements to ports and roads have made the region more attractive to traffickers, while cargoes from West Africa have faced less seizure risk than direct shipments from South America, she said. She added that perceptions and security measures were starting to change as West Africa is increasingly seen as high-risk.

The GI-TOC report said cocaine trafficking fuels corruption among local elites and political decision-makers and can damage public services and economic development. It also said some cocaine is leaking into local markets, increasing use of powdered cocaine and, more sharply, crack over the past five years. The report identified Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone and Mali as countries with especially low local cocaine prices.