Cocaine Seizures?in West Africa?

Cocaine use in Europe has tripled in the last decade, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), while the number of cocaine users in the United States has been consistently falling.

Furthermore, in a recent study conducted by European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), 22% of all new requests for drug related health treatment in the European Union were cocaine-related, almost three times the figure for 1999, with Spain and the Netherlands ranking highest on the list. A sharp increase in offences linked to cocaine has also been documented. For the entire EU, there was an astonishing 62% average increase in offences in the same period, with Germany being the only exception.

These figures display a serious picture for Europe: rise in cocaine usage with the subsequent rise in demand for health treatment associated with its use is a sign of how cocaine is affecting public health in Europe, creating a public security issue.

The Story Behind the Numbers: Shift and Surge

Does this sudden surge in cocaine usage in Europe seem surprisingly strange? Not really.... Put simply, the answer is rooted in economics, politics and a small West African country called Guinea Bissau.

When one thinks of the most probable stop over points for South American cocaine shipments, Central America and the Caribbean come to my mind: more than likely it is a shipment bound for the United States. Yet, within the past two years routes have shifted towards of one of the smallest nations in West Africa, and the fifth poorest country in the world: Guinea Bissau.

The U.S./Mexico border has always been the main point of entry for cocaine shipments coming into the United States. Almost 65 percent of the cocaine brought into the United States passes this border, primarily by maritime transport in the Pacific. In addition, geographical points in the Caribbean remain key stop over points.

An estimated one ton of pure cocaine daily through Guinea Bissau

Within the past several years, however, America has been gaining strategic presence and devoting more resources towards anti-drug enforcement in Southern and Central America (particularly Colombia) and the Caribbean.

This has aided in greater anti-drug enforcement along these routes and has influenced the growth of new routes and destination points for traffickers: the ports of Spain and Portugal becoming the choice entry points for shipments entering Europe via the newfound “narco-state” of Guinea Bissau.

In Guinea Bissau, an estimated one ton of pure cocaine is transported daily through this tiny former Portuguese colony. Its vulnerability undoubtedly lies in its geography as Guinea-Bissau is situated about 4000 straight miles across the Atlantic from the coca fields of South America. Yet, Guinea Bissau, with a population of roughly 1.5 million people, remains defenseless because of its poor infrastructure: an ongoing problem for decades. A fragile government and a weak law enforcement system (Guinea Bissau does not have a prison according to UN sources) have made its unguarded coastline of 36,125 square kilometers a choice stop-over point for Colombian and Venezuelan cocaine en route to Europe. Coupling this situation with a strong euro against the dollar have made this a lethal combination for a profitable outcome for drug traffickers seeking riches through the rising numbers of European cocaine users.

As recently as April of 2008, John Walters, a top United States drug officer met with European officials in Brussels in an urgent meeting to address shocking figures displaying the surge in amounts of cocaine being shipped to Europe via Guinea Bissau, as amounts bound for the United States declined.

In addition, figures, provided by the United States Office of National Drug Control Policy and the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, also demonstrate that trafficking in 2007 had shifted from cocaine mainly coming out of Colombia to cocaine coming out of Venezuela, both by maritime routes and by air.

Indeed, according to these figures, 58,000 kg (128,000 lb) of cocaine arrived in Europe from Venezuela last year -- compared to almost 29,000 (64,000 lb) in 2000 -- while 3,600 kg (8,000 lb) came from Colombia, well down from over 64,000 (141,000 lb) eight years ago.

A Call for Action

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently called upon the European Union (EU) and the EMCDDA to step up their efforts to reduce both supply and demand and to beef up security at key entry points. In addition, the UNODC asked the international community to aid resources for anti drug enforcement in Guinea Bissau and all of West Africa, in an aim to prevent more narco-states from developing and endangering security in an already fragile region.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently called upon the European Union (EU) and the EMCDDA to step up their efforts to reduce both supply and demand and to beef up security at key entry points. In addition, the UNODC asked the international community to aid resources for anti drug enforcement in Guinea Bissau and all of West Africa, in an aim to prevent more narco-states from developing and endangering security in an already fragile region.

The UNODC stated that if government authorities take action in the form of a long term anti-drug strategy, cocaine usage rates  in Europe may begin to level off- which would prevent numbers from catching up to those cited in the United States, the country with the world’s highest rate of cocaine consumption. Yet, other leading experts remain skeptical. As they point out, a continued lack of will by the international community to invest resources for anti drug campaigns in West Africa, coupled with an ever strong euro, will hinder change from taking place in the near future.

From Comunidad Segura:

When all evils come together - Cocaine, Corruption and Shining Path

from the Virtual Library of Human Rights and Public Security

Read Further:

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The European Monitoring Center on Drugs and Addiction