While transnational organized crime markets and the vast profits they generate clearly continue to fuel instability and hinder development in West Africa, solid information about these markets is hard to come by. A new UNODC report,Transnational Organized Crime in West Africa: a Threat Assessment, sheds some light on some of the key crime issues that affect the region and provides recommendations for the international community to tackle these problems.
Cocaine trafficking is the most lucrative criminal activity. Although the flow of cocaine through the region has declined to about 18 tons per year in 2010 from a peak of 47 tons in 2007, the profits from this illicit trade may still be larger than the national security budgets of several West African countries.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.