Criminal groups from the Western Balkans have transformed West Africa into a critical hub in the global cocaine trade, according to a new study by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC).
Since 2019, networks long embedded in Latin America and Europe have expanded operations into African coastal states. The report shows that multi-tonne consignments from Brazil and other exporting nations are now routed through West Africa for storage and redistribution before reaching Europe and beyond.
Exploiting shifting cocaine flows
GI-TOC researchers note that Balkan groups took advantage of growing European demand, stricter enforcement on direct routes, and strengthened ties with Brazil’s Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC).
‘These groups have made inroads into West Africa as a result of rising demand for cocaine in Europe, increased enforcement along direct trafficking routes and strengthened partnerships with Latin American cartels, especially Brazil’s PCC,’ said Fatjona Mejdini, director of GI-TOC’s Observatory of Illicit Economies in South Eastern Europe.
Brokers at the core
The report highlights the central role of local brokers, who organise logistics and facilitate connections with state and non-state actors.
‘The use of brokers is a defining feature of these networks. They provide flexibility, local access and increasingly act as points of convergence between different groups,’ said GI-TOC senior analyst Sasa Djordevic.
Expanding influence
According to Lucia Bird, director of GI-TOC’s Observatory of Illicit Economies in West Africa, the expansion has made the region ‘a pivotal EU-bound cocaine transshipment node’.
Among the most active groups are Montenegro’s rival Kavač and Škaljari clans, as well as Albanian-speaking groups operating in Spain and Brazil. These often collaborate with Italy’s ‘Ndrangheta or the PCC. Typically structured in small, trusted units, the groups exploit local vulnerabilities and infiltrate corrupt law enforcement, port operators and security services.
Rising risks of violence and corruption
The report warns that Balkan cartels are poised to act more independently, investing in their own infrastructure and protection systems. This could entrench corruption, heighten violence and lead to further fragmentation into autonomous cells.
West Africa is also becoming a safe haven for fugitives and a key site for laundering illicit profits, adding to concerns over governance and stability.
Coordinated response needed
To counter the escalating threat, GI-TOC calls for:
- Strategic partnerships: Stronger law enforcement cooperation across continents and with private shipping companies.
- Enhanced intelligence: More dynamic data on trafficking routes, especially at European entry ports.
- Targeting brokers: Disrupting intermediaries through coordinated financial and criminal investigations.
The report concludes that without urgent collective action, West Africa risks becoming permanently entrenched as the world’s cocaine crossroads.
