Publication

This Security Brief argues that 1) the dollar value of cocaine trafficked through West Africa has risen rapidly and surpassed all other illicit commodities smuggled in the sub-region; 2) experience from Latin America and the Caribbean demonstrates that cocaine traffic contributes to dramatically higher levels of violence and instability; and 3) co-opting key government officials is the preferred modus operandi of Latin American cocaine traffickers. African governments need to act urgently to protect the integrity of their counternarcotics institutions to prevent this threat from developing deeper roots on the continent. Raising trafficker transaction costs is one step in the right direction.