Africa now occupies second position worldwide in the trafficking and consumption of illegal drugs.According to UN statistics 37,000 people in Africa die annually from diseases associated with the consumption of illegal drugs. The UN estimates there are 28 million drug users in Africa, the figure for the United States and Canada is 32 million.
The rise in drug trafficking, including an increase in local drug production and consumption, is fast becoming a major challenge in the pursuit of peace, stability and security.West Africa is completely weak in terms of border control and the big drug cartels from Colombia and Latin America have chosen Africa as a way to reach Europe.Efforts against drug trafficking have so
far fallen flat. If they want to tackle drugs, governments will have to engage civil society organisations and mobilise public opinion.
West Africa has a long history of involvement in the international drug trade. Despite the drug trade in West Africa only gaining the interest of the media in 2007, the region has been a strategic transit point for drug trafficking since 1952.
West Africa is the primary transit point for cocaine and other drugs trafficked from South America to Europe and North America. It is also a producer and exporter of cannabis products and amphetamines.The globalisation of the illicit economy is not a new phenomenon of the twenty-first century. It is gaining normalcy not only in the domestic economy within states, but in the global economy as well. With reference to the recent global financial crisis and the warning of another possible down-turn in the developed economies, it presents an opportunity for those dependent on the formal economy to engage in illicit economic endeavours to cover their losses during financial down-turn. The drugs trade is one of the areas within the illicit economy that is highly lucrative and difficult to monitor. Its transcontinental reach and impact is not only understated, but its role in the domestic economies of supplier states and transitory states does not gain the attention it warrants.
Since 2009, the rate of drug seizures has fallen due to increased media attention on drug trafficking and the coordinated action between West African Governments and the relevant international organisations such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).However a drop in the seizure of drugs and narcotics does not mean that the trade of drugs has declined, it only means that the cartels and smugglers have become more sophisticated in their methods and means of transport. It is reported that there has been a repositioning of trade routes and submarines, a Boeing 727, ships and smaller planes are among some of the transportation methods used by South American cartels in the trafficking of drugs to West Africa and further abroad. This is testimony to the boldness, resilience and sophistication of these cartels in avoiding detection.
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Since 2009, the drug trade has declined when measuring the number of seizures made, but the lucrative nature of the trade and the sophistication of transport and communication systems have only enabled the criminal agents involved in drug trafficking to remain a step ahead of the anti-crime organisations and regional efforts to curb this trade.
One cannot ascertain the real impact that drug trafficking has on the West African region and it would certainly be erroneous to generalise the circumstances or extent of drug trafficking in one West African country with another. Nevertheless, drug trafficking extends into every sphere of the society in which it is prevalent. Should one focus on the impact that it has on the social, economic and political aspects of the state and society, it is possible to draw some common understanding regarding this issue.
Social Impact: disintegration of society and human capital
Similar to the impact narcotics consumption has on consumer economies, West African countries are beginning to experience the damaging effect that narcotics trading and consumption has on its domestic economy. West Africa has only recently experienced an increase in the domestic consumption of narcotics among its populations. “[According to the United Nations], of the 35 tonnes of cocaine estimated to have reached West Africa in 2009, only 21 tonnes continued on to Europe, meaning the remainder was probably sold and consumed locally in Africa.” The Inter-Governmental Action Group against money-laundering in West Africa (also known as GIABA), states that the transiting of drugs through a country means that some of it remains within the country and is either distributed as payment for services rendered or as a source of profit for local traffickers.
Narcotics trading and the abuse thereof ultimately leads to the disintegration and disruption of family and society relations and a country dependent on narco-trafficking causes the unravelling of its own population and the attached value system required for its survival and cohesion. When the population of a state is weakened or compromised by drug abuse, it has the potential of rendering the population insecure as “dependency, distress, poverty and crime sets in.” This insecurity is worsened by the impact drug trafficking and drug abuse has on the education of a population.
The belief in the benefit of education is undermined by the ‘get-rich-quick-mentality’ that establishes itself among the youth. The lucrative prospects, power and high profit rates attached to drug trafficking becomes attractive to marginalised young males. However, it also produces unskilled, unemployed and unproductive citizens who are at risk of abusing the substance themselves, thereby amplifying the drug culture within the region. Consequently, the West African economy is burdened with a declining and weakened labour force and a civil society divided and rendered powerless.
Community Impact: American crack cocaine epidemic
During the American crack epidemic between 1984 and 1990. crack cocaine first began to be used on a large scale in Los Angeles in 1984. The distribution and use of the drug exploded that same year and by the end of 1986, was available in 28 states and the District of Columbia.
In 1985, cocaine-related hospital emergencies rose by 12 percent, from 23,500 to 26,300. In 1986, then increased 210 percent, from 26,300 to 55,200. Between 1984 and 1987, cocaine incidents increased to 94,000. In addition, late 1984 saw an increase in fetal death rates and low birth-weight babies to mothers who were using crack cocaine in Los Angeles. The first "crack babies" were born in late 1984.The trend continued to increase throughout the 1980s and spread to most major American cities. Some scholars have cited the crack "epidemic" as an example of a moral panic, noting that the explosion in use and trafficking of the drug actually occurred after the media coverage of the drug as an "epidemic.
The crack epidemic is correlated with a sharp increase in crime on an unprecedented scale, especially violent crime. Between 1984 and 1994, the homicide rate for black males aged 14 to 17 more than doubled, and the homicide rate for black males aged 18 to 24 increased nearly as much. During this period, the black community also experienced an increase in fetal death rates, low birth-weight babies, weapons arrests, and the number of children in foster care.
Evidently, crack cocaine use and distribution became popular in cities that were in social and economic chaos such as Los Angeles and Atlanta. 'As a result of the low-skill levels and minimal initial resource outlay required to sell crack, systemic violence flourished as a growing army of young, enthusiastic inner-city crack sellers attempt to defend their economic investment. Once the drug became embedded in the particular communities, the economic environment that was best suited for its survival caused further social disintegration within that city. An environment that was based on violence and deceit as an avenue for the crack dealers to protect their economic interests.
Economic Impact: establishing the narco-economy
The lucrative business of drug trafficking creates the illusion that it is a short-term route to economic prosperity. According to GIABA, narco-economies necessitate the building of better and efficient infrastructure and communication technologies to facilitate streamlined and cost-effective trafficking. The supplementary construction boom provides the necessary jobs and accommodation, while the payment received from these opportunities increase the injection of monies into the domestic economy. The economy therefore looks healthier, but the reality is that only a few individuals who control the cash benefit from this economic boom. It should be stressed that the economic boom does not last long and does not necessarily trickle down to the poorer masses. It only worsens the economic credibility of the region and renders the economy and the prosperity of the population dependent on drug trafficking. Aside from this, wealthy drug traffickers prefer to export their cash to safer financial and economic climates, while some choose to decrease their spending in the local economy to avoid detection. Drug trafficking and the money-laundering that comes with illicit trading places the banking system under considerable pressure to accept dirty money. Although it builds the banking system’s net worth, it subsequently puts it at risk of prosecution or the risk of sudden and large cash withdrawals.
Increased violence and crime that persists in these countries and the decline of a productive and reliable work force undermines the region’s business and tourism sectors. This discourages investment within the region, leading to a further dependency on drug trafficking and declining prospects of escaping that dependency. “The economic weight of this flow could create a ‘Dutch disease’ effect, in which other forms of commercial activity become less attractive than drug trafficking” and this inevitably has a negative effect on state revenue, rendering the Government unable to provide public goods and services facilitative of domestic development and economic growth.
Political Impact: emergence of the narco-state
With weakening economic credibility and transnational criminal networks operating within borders, it becomes difficult for West African Governments to build and sustain the capacity and political will necessary to prevent these criminal agents from taking over state institutions and the domestic economy. Often, the net worth of individuals or criminal networks who engage in these activities is higher than the country’s national income. This provides the opportunity for these criminal networks and drug lords to infiltrate the Government and usurp control of state institutions to aid their activities or avoid prosecution. These cartels work with local criminal gangs and corrupt officials where some consignments are handled by corrupt armies, customs and police forces. Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the UNODC, is quoted as saying that “…drug cartels buy more than real estate, banks and businesses; they buy elections, candidates and parties. In a word they buy power.” The drug trade in effect corrupts the Government as well as state institutions, capturing weak states in exchange for protection and money. The state and the Government become compliant to the drugs trade and its allegiance to the drug lords renders it negligent to the rights of the population.
The narcotics trafficking network even extends its impact into the legal system of West African countries. It becomes overburdened with court cases related to drugs “backlogs increase; prisons fill up, resources offering help and rehabilitation are insufficient and the whole attitude of fear in society seeks retribution and punishment instead of rehabilitation and reintegration”.Costa further emphasises that prosecutors and judges lack the evidence or the will to bring to justice powerful criminals with powerful friends.
ECOWAS response to drug trafficking
"Before 2001, the drug law enforcement departments in West Africa did not have appreciable collaboration with one another...one Agency would find it difficult to release information because of the uncertainty of the preservation of confidentiality of the information in the destination country.” This situation led to the founding of the West African Joint Operations initiative, a collaborative between Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration Regional Office in Lagos, whose focus was to contain the illicit drug trafficking problem across the region, which still remains weak.