From Africa Recovery, Vol.12#1 (August 1998), page 7

Merchants of death target Africa

Countries used as springboards for international drug trafficking

By Ronald V. Neal

Illicit drug cultivation, processing, trafficking and abuse are on the rise in Africa. Although in global terms the problem is insignificant, it is threatening to add another impediment to the continent's development efforts. If the trend continues, Africa could be faced with a major drug crisis. While the main drugs produced in Africa are cannabis and khat, narcotic drugs, specifically heroin and cocaine, are penetrating sub-Saharan Africa, which serves principally as a transit route between Asian suppliers and Western consumers.

A study carried out by the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) indicates that African countries are being used as springboards for international trafficking by criminal syndicates. The continent is also increasingly being used by the drug cartels for production and consumption of illicit drugs, as well as money laundering. A consequence of stepped-up drug activity has been a rise in violent crimes, corruption, bank fraud and social decay. African governments are grappling with how to best face this new threat.

Narcotics trade

African countries facing an influx of drugs include Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal in West Africa and Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana and Zambia in eastern and southern Africa. In South Africa, for example, there are up to 500,000 cocaine users in the country and one-third of its teenagers experiment with drugs, according to the South African Institute of International Affairs. The institute says there are up to 300 international crime syndicates, involved in drug trafficking, operating in the country. Johannesburg International Airport, which has surpassed Cairo as the busiest airport in Africa, had over 100 kg of cocaine seized in 1997.

Statistics show that cocaine is the major drug on the illicit traffic market in several African countries. In Zambia, for example, cocaine leads the drug market, and 80 per cent of it is transported to Europe and 20 per cent consumed locally, according to the country's Drug Enforcement Commission spokesman Mukutulu Sinyani.

In 1996 Africa accounted for 321,292 kg or 12 per cent of world-wide cannabis seizures, but only 169 kg or 1.6 per cent of cocaine seizures. Statistics reporting drug activity in many African countries, however, are not always consistent or reliable, sometimes creating the false notion that the drug problem is under control. For example, Mr. Norman Moleboge, Botswana's Police Commissioner, told The Botswana Gazette that anti-narcotics efforts are hampered by the inadequate capacity of the police to detect drugs, citing data indicating a downturn in seizures of heroin and cocaine.

In its annual report, the Geopolitical Drugs Watch, a non-governmental organization based in France, reported that 24 kg of cocaine had been confiscated at the Abidjan airport during a 10-month period in 1996, but those seizures "are far from representing the actual scale of trafficking activities."

UNDCP figures from Ghana were likewise judged to be suspect during the most recent reporting period: cocaine seizures rose from 7.3 kg in 1994 to 18.4 kg in 1995 before dropping to less than 1 kg in 1996. Similarly, Kenyan authorities recorded a rise to 29.0 kg in 1995 from 22.8 kg in 1995; but the decline to 15.5 kg for 1996 left more doubt among the various international narcotics control agencies.

Still, the drug problem does not arouse the same sense of urgency in the minds of most Africans as compared to people in developed countries in view of the relatively smaller size of the local drug market. In the US, for example, approximately 300 tonnes of cocaine enter the country each year. According to UNDCP, the US illicit drug industry is estimated to be worth between $75 bn and $100 bn a year and there are some 12.8 million abusers. Those monetary figures dwarf the gross domestic product (GDP) of many developing countries.

South Africa, Nigeria worst affected

When the issue of drugs in Africa is analyzed closely, South Africa and Nigeria appear to be in a class of their own. Their drug problem is critical. Sophisticated criminal organizations have already taken hold in South Africa and Nigeria and trafficking, money laundering and corruption are taxing law enforcement agencies and the criminal justice systems.

With its established financial markets and advanced computer networks, South Africa stands out as an ideal site for money laundering. As the wealthiest country in Africa, it offers a huge market for drugs. As a regional hub, it attracts numerous traffickers for transshipment of drugs.

Money laundering has become a serious issue for the South African government. In February 1998 Mr. George Fivas, the national commissioner of police, revealed that money laundering has been going on through government bonds, real estate, and various businesses. Moreover, such "dirty money" often means that taxable revenues -- perhaps in the billions of rand -- are being lost.

The South African Narcotics Bureau (SANAB) fears being overwhelmed by the expansion of criminal syndicates. One former SANAB officer commented: "Local syndicates are taking advantage of our weak criminal justice system, bribing their way out of airports and exporting large quantities of drugs." Legislation to bolster anti-drug initiatives was passed in 1992 with the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act. But drug-related crime continues on an upward swing in major South African cities, showing the inextricable link between drugs and social problems.

The history of drugs in Nigeria, as pointed out by Professor Tolani Asuni of the University of Lagos, can be traced to World War II, when returning soldiers introduced cannabis. With the escalation of drug usage in developed countries during the 1970s, West African airports were employed as transit points and Nigerians were sought as couriers.

Since the early 1980s Nigeria has earned an international reputation as a hub for trafficking in hard drugs. As the trade in heroin and cocaine is very profitable, ever larger numbers of people were attracted to it. By the 1990s the menace of drug trafficking had international, as well as national, ramifications. Nigerian syndicates alone are said to control an estimated 50 per cent of the entire illegal heroin in the world, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Geopolitical Drugs Watch observed: "Nigerian networks are active all over the world and they have grabbed a respectable share of the cocaine and heroin business."

A perception that sophisticated and well-entrenched Nigerian drug lords had been operating with relative impunity provoked external pressure against the Nigerian government. In 1994 the US government charged that its anti-drug efforts were unsatisfactory. Subsequently, General Musa Bamaiyi was appointed as chief of the National Drug Law Enforcement Administration (NDLEA). Since then the general has conducted an unprecedented war -- losing 29 NDLEA agents in the past two years -- against drug dealers, while also trying to limit money laundering. Although this high-profile campaign has won Nigeria grudging respect for its commitment, there remains much to be done as Nigerian drug gangs continue to persist as a major global force.

"Nigerian authorities are doing a lot to strengthen their capacity to deal with this issue," commented Ms. Christiane D'Almeida, the African regional representative of the UNDCP. "And what we have observed recently is that the work done by the NDLEA has really paid off. Now you have very few arrests of Nigerians in their country. But you have an increase of drug seizures and arrests in neighbouring countries."

Nigeria has become a case study for the dangerous impact of drugs in Africa. It shows how a developing country must expend resources creating special anti-narcotics agencies and drug courts for the investigation and prosecution of traffickers and to retard the expansion of domestic drug abuse.

The experience of Nigeria and South Africa shows the global drug problem is now indeed an African one. At present Africa has insufficient resources to fight drug trafficking which, if permitted to go unchecked, can divert energy and resources from social and economic reconstruction. However, many governments are taking an active stance, despite limited financing.

Professor Asuni notes, "Law enforcement is being increased in a number of African countries known to be involved in trafficking, and bilateral and multilateral agreements being entered into with other relevant countries.... International conferences, both at regional and interregional levels, are being organized to share experiences and exchange ideas in order to improve efforts to combat the problem."

The reaction in Kenya was typical: in 1993 penalties for drug trafficking were increased to life imprisonment as well as fines of KSh1 mn ($16,700). But Kenya also illustrates the fact that after legislation, the next crucial factor is law enforcement.

Developing countries are often ill-equipped and undermanned to provide the social services for treatment and rehabilitation of drug abusers that only industrialized states can afford. Thus, argue experts, the huge costs of managing a drug crisis and the serious damage it can cause to Africa demand stringent preventive measures.

[Back to index] [To Volume12#1 -- full graphics]

Material from this article may be freely reproduced, with attribution to "Africa Recovery, United Nations".
We would appreciate a copy of the reproduction.

Africa Recovery
Room S-931
United Nations
New York, NY 10017 USA

Tel: (212) 963-6857
Fax: (212) 963-4556
Email: africa_recovery@un.org

Website: www.africarecovery.org
Contact us by email: africa_recovery@un.org