Recent successive seizures of cocaine ranging from hundreds of kilograms to tens of tons in West Africa are leading to analyses that the region is establishing itself as a major route for international drug trafficking connecting South America and Europe.

According to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) of Nigeria and the British BBC broadcasting on the 20th (local time), the NDLEA intercepted and seized 184.5 kg of cocaine scheduled to be smuggled overseas through a courier service in Lagos, the largest city, on the 3rd.

Valued at 39 billion nairas (approximately 40 billion won), this cocaine was disguised as regular cargo and was scheduled to be sent to the UK, Europe, and Asia.

The NDLEA stated that this case is "the largest-ever cocaine seizure intercepted through a courier company in Nigeria."

Forming a special investigation team and launching an investigation, the NDLEA announced on the 18th that it arrested Apolabi Kazim Michael (49), a social media influencer pointed out as the core figure of this case, at the airport as he was attempting to leave the country.

Michael, who goes by 'KC Luxury', has about 700,000 Instagram followers and has been active as a businessman and influencer dealing in gold and luxury goods.

Nigerian and British police arrested two men and women residing in the UK earlier this month through a joint investigation.

The Metropolitan Police stated that they were charged in connection with 180 kg of cocaine seized in the UK on the 5th, while investigations continue into their connection with the 184.5 kg cocaine case found in Nigeria.

Recent large-scale drug seizure cases are not limited to Nigeria.

In Liberia, 3,971 kg of cocaine was seized on July 21 in Duazon near the capital Monrovia.

Reuters reported, citing local police, that the cocaine, with an estimated market value of 317 million dollars (approximately 400 billion won), was headed to Europe.

In Liberia, 237.6 kg of cocaine heading to the UK from Sierra Leone was also intercepted at the airport in June.

The Liberian Ministry of Justice announced the previous day that, regarding the investigation into transnational drug networks, former Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor was indicted on charges including drug trafficking, money laundering, and the import, sale, distribution, and transportation of controlled substances.

However, the Ministry of Justice explained that her charges are unrelated to the 3,971 kg of cocaine seized last month.

Former Vice President Taylor is the former wife of former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who is serving a 50-year prison sentence in the UK after being convicted of war crimes and other charges by an international court, and served as Vice President from 2018 to 2024.

In addition, 970 kg of cocaine loaded on a truck coming from a neighboring country was seized in Senegal in June, and a Comoros-flagged vessel from which Spain seized 35 to 40 tons of cocaine in international waters of the North Atlantic in May was tracked down to have departed from Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Regarding recent cases, the international non-governmental organization (NGO) Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) stated that large-scale maritime transport networks heading from West Africa to Europe are highly organized, estimating that at least 30% of the cocaine consumed in Europe passes through West Africa.

In a report released in March, GI-TOC explained that the West African cocaine market has expanded rapidly since 2019, driven by factors such as increased production in South America, expanded demand in Europe, and stricter enforcement on direct trafficking routes from South America to Europe.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) also expressed concern, noting that West Africa serves as a natural transit stop for South American cocaine heading to Europe due to its geographical location between South America and Europe, and that recent large-scale cocaine seizure cases are on the rise.

Recently, transportation methods have also been diversifying, including hiding drugs not only in large cargo ships but also in fishing boats, small vessels, and legitimate cargo.

Experts analyze that West Africa is transforming from a mere "transit route" for cocaine into a logistics hub where storage, transshipment, and redistribution take place.

The expansion of drug trafficking based in West Africa is also impacting the local area.

Points are being raised that some of the cocaine is being consumed locally instead of leaving for Europe or being used as payment for middlemen transporters, fueling the domestic drug market, organized crime, and corruption.

(Photo: Provided by Korea Customs Service, Yonhap News)