Nigeria still dominates cocaine traffic routes in Africa -- UN

“Criminal networks from Nigeria appear to play an especially significant role in smuggling activities across West and North Africa. They are also active globally, supported by a segment of the Nigerian diaspora and a large network of drug couriers,” the report, which is titled: UNODC World Drug Report 2022, reads in apart.

According to the report, Nigerian groups are known for trafficking small quantities of cocaine by means of mules by on passenger flights.

“Data from Brazil shows that in each year since 2018 the most common foreign nationality of drug mules arrested at Brazilian airports has been Nigerian. Nigerian trafficking groups are understood to be tribe-based group of four or five members, where each member of the cell has a small number of people working for them without knowing the members of the core group. They are thought to collaborate with larger groups outside of the country,” the report reads.

Africa’s role in cocaine trafficking

According to the report, Seizure data suggest that the role of Africa, especially West and Central Africa, as a transit zone for cocaine on its way to markets in Europe has picked up substantially since 2019. Both the total quantity seized in Africa and the number of large seizures appear to have reached record levels during 2021, according to preliminary data.

“Brazilian crime groups seem to be increasingly targeting Portuguese-speaking countries like Mozambique, Angola and Cabo Verde. And airports in Kenya and Ethiopia are also believed to have been targeted as “stopovers” en route from Brazil to Europe.”