Under the radar: Western Balkans’ cocaine operations in West Africa

Western Balkans criminal groups, comprising both Albanian- and Slavic-speaking networks, have become dominant players in the global cocaine trade. While their influence in Europe and Latin America has been well documented, their growing role in West Africa has largely flown under the radar.

Since 2019, these groups have expanded their operations in West Africa, using the region as a critical logistical, storage and redistribution hub for cocaine shipments en route to European consumption markets and beyond. This expansion has been shaped by their effective leverage of geography, governance weaknesses and infrastructure, both hard and digital.

The webinar launches the report “Under the radar: Western Balkans’ cocaine operations in West Africa” which is jointly developed by two GI-TOC observatories of illicit economies – South Eastern Europe (SEE-Obs) and West Africa (WEA-Obs). The webinar will highlight key findings from the report and answer the following questions:

• How are these groups extending their reach into West Africa?
• Who are the main players?
• Which West African countries are most targeted for infiltration?
• What are the predictions for future trends?
• What actions are advisable?