Tracking the drug trade

Tackling the traffickers. 

From Afghanistan to Africa: Heroin trafficking in East Africa and the Indian Ocean

CARINA BRUWER

Interest in drug trafficking in Africa has typically focused on cocaine in West Africa. The region is home to what many have labelled Africa’s first narco-state, Guinea-Bissau. But since 2010, an increase in heroin trafficking in and around East Africa has demanded the attention of the international community, which has warned that the effects of large-scale heroin trafficking could be devastating for the region. By CARINA BRUWER.

With the exception of Somalia, East Africa is considered relatively stable. With political figures often linked to drug trafficking and other forms of organised crime, East Africa is particularly vulnerable to the potentially devastating effects of heroin trafficking, and a rapid and innovative response to the growing trade is needed.

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Source: dailymaverick.co.za