Moroccan Drug Gangs Flood Sahel with Narcotics: Kingdom of Opiates Threatens Africa, World
BY: Dr. Hana Saada
ALGIERS- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has highlighted a significant surge in drug trafficking activity in the Sahel region, primarily fueled by resinous cannabis, a substance largely originating from Morocco, where production levels have notably increased in recent years.
In its recent report titled “Drug Trafficking in the Sahel: Transnational Organized Crime – Threat Assessment,” released today, the UNODC, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, underscored the escalating quantities of cocaine seized in the Sahel region.
According to the UN report, the amount of seized cocaine in the region has surged, “from an average of 13 kilograms annually during the period 2015-2020, to 41 kilograms in 2021, reaching 1466 kilograms the following year, with most seizures occurring in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.”
Cocaine, cannabis resin, and pharmaceutical opioids stand out as the most prevalent drugs trafficked in the Sahel region, with cannabis herb being the most commonly seized drug in terms of volume.
The report further outlines that Moroccan hashish serves as the primary source of cannabis resin trafficked in the region, with a noticeable rise in production, reaching approximately 901 tons in 2022. This substance is primarily destined for countries in Western and Northern Europe.
Apart from the direct route between Spain and Morocco, cannabis resin is predominantly transported overland from Morocco to Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad, revealing an emerging sea route from Morocco to the Gulf of Guinea.
The UNODC expresses apprehension that “the reconfiguration of cannabis resin trafficking routes in West Africa will impact drug distribution networks between North Africa and the Gulf of Guinea and the Sahel region.” Moroccan drug traffickers are anticipated to become “less reliant on organized crime groups in Mali,” while traffickers in the Gulf of Guinea are increasingly exposed to cannabis resin, enabling them to diversify their trade and markets.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime laments that “recent seizures, arrests, and detentions in the region have exposed the complicity of a wide range of individuals, including politicians, security forces personnel, and judicial authorities, especially when they evade controls and evade arrest and legal proceedings.”
In March of last year, the Spanish newspaper “EL ESPAÑOL” uncovered a new scandal related to drug trafficking between the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, accusing the Moroccan Royal Navy of complicity by using its patrol boats to smuggle drugs into Spain.
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