The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed in a new report that drug trafficking in the Sahel region has increased sharply, noting that cannabis resin, one of the most widely used drugs in the region, comes from Morocco, which has seen a significant increase in production in recent years.

In a report entitled “Drug Trafficking in the Sahel: Transnational Organized Crime – Threat Assessment,” released Friday, the Vienna, Austria-based organization noted that increasing amounts of cocaine have been seized in the Sahel.

The UN office’s report stated that the amount of cocaine seized in the region “increased from an average of 13 kg per year in the Sahel during the period 2015-2020 to 41 kg in 2021, reaching 1,466 kg the following year, with most of the seizures in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.”

According to the report, cocaine, cannabis resin and pharmaceutical opiates are the most commonly trafficked drugs in the Sahel, noting that cannabis is the most frequently seized psychotropic substance in the region in terms of quantity.

The source noted that Indian cannabis is very popular among drug addicts around the world because of its low price, and is the second most seized drug in the Sahel after herbal cannabis, accounting for more than 52.6 percent of the total amount of cannabis resin seized in the region. During the same period, cannabis resin seizures in West and Central Africa increased dramatically, demonstrating the importance of the Sahel route in the trafficking of this illicit substance.

Data from the Sahel countries indicate that “cannabis resin trafficked in the region generally comes from Morocco, where an increase in production was reported, reaching approximately 901 tons in 2022,” the report states, noting that this drug “is generally destined for Western and Northern European countries.

The office notes that “in addition to the direct route between Spain and Morocco, cannabis resin is mainly transported by land from Morocco to Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad,” revealing the existence of “another alternative maritime route from Morocco to the gates of the Gulf of Guinea.

According to the same source, “the restructuring of cannabis resin smuggling routes in West Africa is likely to have an impact on drug distribution networks operating between North Africa, the Gulf of Guinea and the Sahel region,” as the UN office expects Moroccan drug traffickers to become “less dependent on organized crime groups.” “In Mali, while traffickers in the Gulf of Guinea are likely to have increased exposure to cannabis resin, this will allow them to diversify their trade and the markets they can access.”

UNODC regrets that “recent seizures, arrests and detentions in countries in the region have highlighted the ways in which drug trafficking is facilitated by a wide range of individuals, such as politicians, members of the defence and security forces and members of the judiciary, especially when they evade controls and avoid arrest and legal proceedings”.

Kahina Bouaouina / English Version: Med.B