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. - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine