Pubdate: Thu, 15 Mar 2007
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Copyright: 2007 San Jose Mercury News
Contact:  http://www.mercurynews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/390
Author: Sabastian Rotella, Chris Kraul

WEST AFRICA BECOMING COCAINE TRANSIT ROUTE

Drug Transported From South America to Europe

MADRID, Spain - A landmark shift in trafficking routes has 
transformed West Africa into a hub for cocaine smuggling from South 
America to a booming European market, according to anti-drug 
officials on three continents.

Drug traffickers have established a safe haven and transit area along 
the Gulf of Guinea to elude aggressive efforts to seize cocaine 
headed directly to Europe. Anti-drug officials fear the new route 
will worsen lawlessness in African countries already overwhelmed by 
crime, poverty and instability.

Colombian gangsters have brought their swagger to the tiny West 
African country of Guinea Bissau, setting up elaborate front 
companies, tooling around in flashy cars and allegedly buying 
high-level protection. The use of drug "mules" has increased 
dramatically: A single flight arriving in Amsterdam from Morocco in 
December carried 32 West African passengers who had swallowed cocaine 
packets or concealed them in their luggage.

"What was seen before as a threat has become a reality," said Lt. 
Juan Llorente, an intelligence analyst for Spain's paramilitary Guardia Civil.

Eight European nations April 1 will launch a military-law enforcement 
task force targeting cocaine traffic from Africa. The Maritime 
Analysis Operations Center based in Portugal will team police, navy 
and customs resources, a model similar to a U.S. interdiction unit in Florida.

The United States is the world's top market for cocaine, but use is declining.

Meanwhile, demand has hit all-time highs in Europe, led by Britain, 
Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. A kilo of cocaine brings about 
$45,000 compared to about $25,000 in the U.S.

Because of historic ties to Latin America, the Iberian Peninsula 
remains the gateway to Europe. But aggressive Spanish and British 
patrols have intercepted numerous shiploads headed for a smuggling 
corridor on Spain's northwest coast, forcing traffickers to turn to Africa.

"Effective law enforcement is a particular challenge in Africa due to 
the sheer number of containers that transit through the seaports, the 
lack of trained inspectors and investigative intelligence, weak 
governments and the widespread practice of corruption," Michael 
Braun, the chief of DEA operations, told Congress last year.

Traffickers stockpile cocaine in countries including Cape Verde, 
Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Togo, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and 
Mauritania. It is then moved north, often to clandestine landing 
zones on the coasts of Spain and Portugal, or commercial ports such 
as Barcelona, Rotterdam and Antwerp.

Smugglers use commercial ship containers and fishing vessels, and 
occasionally enlist Moroccan smugglers to cross the Mediterranean. 
Intelligence indicates that small planes and trucks, the latter 
toiling on desert contraband trails, transport loads to North Africa, 
DEA officials say.

The partnerships combine South American suppliers, transport 
specialists predominantly from Nigeria and Ghana, and European 
distributors, officials say. Colombian traffickers, whether 
freelancers or cartel operatives, are popping up in remote African locales.

"There are so many Colombians in Guinea-Bissau," said a DEA official 
who asked not to be identified. "They are running supposedly legit 
businesses, driving Mercedes. And they have informants: They know 
when the DEA shows up."

One of the 10 poorest nations in the world, the former Portuguese 
colony lacks a secure prison, border controls or police laboratories. 
"All the institutions have collapsed," said Koli Kouame, a citizen of 
Ivory Coast who is secretary of the U.N.'s International Narcotics 
Control Board.

Guinea-Bissau police captured two Colombians unloading 1,500 pounds 
of cocaine in September. After a police chief announced the seizure, 
he was threatened by fellow officials allegedly allied to Colombian 
traffickers. Authorities refused to let a DEA agent see the drugs or 
the suspects, whom a judge released, U.S. and European investigators say.

Even in comparatively stable Ghana, top officials were accused last 
year of protecting a Venezuelan drug lord. Ghanaian police recorded 
the continent's biggest cocaine bust last year, arresting Ghanaian 
and Nigerian suspects with a Mercedes van containing almost two tons 
concealed in boxes of fish.

Cocaine also leaves for Africa from Brazil and Venezuela, which U.S. 
and Colombian officials say has become a sanctuary for smugglers 
because of corruption and the suspension of anti-drug cooperation 
with the U.S. in 2005.

U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield said recently that the amount of 
drugs transiting Venezuela has increased five-fold since 2001 to 250 
tons a year, a figure disputed by the government of President Hugo 
Cha'vez. Half goes to the United States and half to Europe, officials say.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine