The Evolving Nexus: Narco Trafficking Between Latin America and Africa

For decades, the global narcotics trade has been dominated by Latin American cartels supplying North American and European markets. However, a significant and evolving relationship has developed between Latin American drug trafficking organizations and their African counterparts.

This relationship has transformed from a simple transit arrangement to a complex, symbiotic partnership with profound implications for both continents. This article examines the historical development, current dynamics, and consequences of the narco trafficking nexus between Latin America and Africa.

The connection between Latin American drug organizations and Africa began in the 1980s but has significantly evolved over time. As noted by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, “Cocaine trafficking between Brazil and West Africa stretches back at least to the 1980s, but has grown substantially as cocaine cultivation in Latin America has increased and consumption in Europe has grown.” This trafficking route has become increasingly important, with Brazil emerging as a key departure point since 2016.

Latin American narcotics trafficking is considered “a signature Latin American contribution to our globalized world,” with Colombia and Mexico traditionally playing paramount roles in production and distribution. However, the expansion into African markets represents a strategic diversification by these organizations.

What began as a simple transit relationship has transformed into a more sophisticated partnership.

According to Grey Dynamics, “Originally, African countries like Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde served merely as transit points for Latin American drugs headed to European markets. However, in the past decade, an increase in African customers and trafficking networks has elevated Africa from being just an ‘asset’ to becoming ‘a key player in the drug-trafficking industry.'”

This shift reflects broader changes in global drug markets. While the United States remains the primary destination for Latin American drugs, approximately “25-30% of global cocaine production now travels from Latin America to Europe, typically via West Africa.” This represents a significant change from the 1980s and early 1990s when the main smuggling route was via the Caribbean into Florida.

The relationship between Latin American and African drug traffickers operates through a sophisticated system. An informal business model has been established between South American Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and recipients in Africa. This increases both drug trafficking to Europe and the U.S. and ensures the long-term presence of narcotics within communities in countries like Nigeria, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Mozambique.

The organizational structure resembles other transnational trafficking networks. Similar to Mexican-Colombian relationships in drug trafficking, South American TCOs have couriers or delegates in African countries establishing decentralized smuggling and trafficking networks. Likewise, African criminal organizations, particularly Nigerian groups, maintain a presence in key ports and cities throughout South America.

In 2022, an unprecedented 24 tonnes of cocaine were seized across West Africa, much of it originating from Brazil. This dramatic increase in seizures indicates the growing volume of narcotics moving through these channels.

Several major organizations dominate this intercontinental trade. The PCC-Nigerian ‘cartel’ link is currently the major South American actor in Africa, though not the only one. The Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) from Brazil has established significant operations across Africa, with arrests of PCC associates like ‘Fuminho’ in Mozambique highlighting these connections.

The PCC – Brazil’s largest criminal organization – plays a pivotal role in understanding Brazil’s importance in West African cocaine trafficking. According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the PCC “straddles various illicit supply chains” and has become central to the Brazil-West Africa cocaine trade.

Other significant actors include Colombian cartels, which have increasingly identified new markets for cocaine in Europe via West Africa. A Colombian-Guinean drug ring was dismantled in September 2019, along with arrested members from Mexico and Mali, demonstrating the diverse nature of these criminal networks.

Weak governance and corruption in certain African states create ideal conditions for drug trafficking. Guinea-Bissau in West Africa has been labeled a “narco-state” due to government officials often being bribed by traffickers to ignore the illegal trade. Colombian drug cartels began using the West African coast as routes through Jamaica and Panama faced increased policing.

The Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses notes that “the subversion of law enforcement and military personnel through corruption has already occurred in many countries. In Guinea-Bissau and Guinea-Conakry, international narco-trafficking groups easily created strong relationships with ruling elites, transforming Guinea-Bissau into what some call ‘the world’s first narco-state.'”

In a specific example highlighting this corruption, “the head of migration services of Guinea-Bissau was arrested for links with drug trafficking, while in 2013 the head of the Navy was arrested in a DEA sting operation and later released on ‘good behaviour.'” This level of official involvement demonstrates how deeply narcotics trafficking has penetrated some African states.

The drug trade has become intertwined with various armed groups across Africa. Jihadist groups in the Sahel like AQIM (Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb) or in East Africa profit from drug trafficking, with the link between TCOs functioning as an informal provider of narcotics for trafficking purposes. Both AQIM and ISGS (Islamic State in the Greater Sahara) reportedly provide protection and narco links for TCOs across the Sahel and Sahara desert.

This creates a dangerous nexus between drug money and armed conflict. The conflict in Cabo Delgado in northern Mozambique has likely been supported directly or indirectly by the PCC and Nigerian TCOs. Evidence of weapons being trafficked alongside drugs demonstrates how these criminal relationships adapt to environments and generate profits beyond traditional drug-trafficking networks.

The International Crisis Group observes that “Traffickers often pay urban gangs in drugs, arms and military training – tools the gangs then use to impose coercive control, greasing their own economic engine. With the blessing of their larger allies, gangs sow terror among the population to generate revenue, most significantly through extortion.”

The trafficking relationship has significant impacts on both continents. Despite ebbs and flows in its intensity, the harm caused by this illicit business remains a constant concern. Citizens of Latin American states regularly report criminal violence to be their primary concern – above poverty, inequality, and inadequate public services.

The localized nature of the relationship between South American cartels and African counterparts likely motivates youth recruitment due to the low attraction and cooperation it generates within rural communities. Similar to strategies observed in Mexico or Brazil, trafficking creates alienated communities and increases social confrontations.

The economic impact is also substantial. In West Africa, the role of Africa in drug trafficking has expanded from primarily transit points to regional and international hubs. The proliferation of armed conflicts has attracted players and investors to obtain profit from the narcotics business. High levels of corruption in countries like Guinea-Bissau or Nigeria incentivize the increase in relationships between South American criminal organizations and criminal actors in Africa dedicated to drug trafficking.

Traditional approaches to combating drug trafficking have shown limited success. Law enforcement operations often have the unintended effect of reconfiguring rather than quelling violence. As authorities clamp down on one part of a trafficking route, criminals shift operations to areas that offer enticements, whether commercial export opportunities, vulnerable communities, or corruptible officials.

This “balloon effect” of enforcement is a longstanding feature of supply-side counter-narcotics policies. For example, eradication of coca crops in Colombia simply led producers to jump to other provinces or countries, “as if playing hopscotch.”

The United States and European nations have invested billions in counternarcotics efforts in both Latin America and Africa. The U.S. has supported initiatives like Plan Colombia and the Central American Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) with approximately $800 million to “fund programs for narcotics interdiction, strengthening law enforcement and justice institutions and violence prevention through work with at-risk youth”. However, these efforts have had limited success in stemming the flow of drugs.

Several trends suggest the Africa-Latin America narcotics relationship will continue to evolve:

1. Increasing European Demand: As cocaine consumption in Europe continues to grow, the importance of the West African route will likely increase.
2. Diversification of Products: While cocaine remains the primary drug trafficked through this route, there are indications that other narcotics, including synthetic drugs, may begin to flow through the same channels.
3. Technological Adaptation: Criminal networks are increasingly utilizing advanced technologies, including encrypted communications and cryptocurrency, to facilitate their operations.
4. Integration with Other Illicit Economies: The narcotics trade is becoming increasingly integrated with other illicit activities, including human trafficking, arms smuggling, and illegal mining.

The relationship between narco trafficking in Africa and Latin America has evolved from a simple transit arrangement to a complex, mutually beneficial partnership. What began as Latin American cartels using Africa as a stopover point for European markets has developed into a sophisticated network where African criminal organizations actively participate in all aspects of the drug trade.

This relationship continues to adapt to law enforcement pressures, exploit political instability, and capitalize on corruption. The consequences extend beyond the drug trade itself, fueling violence, undermining governance, and providing resources to armed groups across both continents.

Addressing this complex problem will require coordinated international efforts that go beyond traditional law enforcement approaches. Strategies must address the underlying issues of corruption, weak governance, and economic marginalization that make communities vulnerable to infiltration by criminal organizations. Without such comprehensive approaches, the narco trafficking nexus between Latin America and Africa will likely continue to evolve and expand.