Strengthening Law Enforcement Against Expanding Global Cocaine Markets in East Africa

Abstract

According to the 2023 Global Report on Cocaine by the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the international supply of cocaine is currently at a record high. This follows a 35% rise in coca bush cultivation in South America (the world’s largest cocaine producer) between 2021 to 2022. The uptake in harvest and consequent production has equally coincided with amplified trafficking activities by international criminal networks. A growing shift away from US markets to European markets for narcotics has made nationals of East and Southern African states vulnerable to exploitation as couriers.