Africa's Role in the Drug Trade

The articleAFRICA-US: Growing Drug Trade Linked to Terror Groups restates many points covered in this blog about how West Africa is becoming a staging ground to import cocaine from Latin America into Europe.

Contrasting the high value of cocaine with the low GDP's of many West African nations, the article explores what role poverty in those countries might contribute to West Africa's growing role in the narcotics trade without reaching firm conclusions.

It quotes Michael Braun, a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) chief of operations, as asserting that this growth in drug trade as fostering "hybrid terrorist organisation," but cites no direct evidence that these are emerging.

The article's most interesting point is its last:

There is also the very real possibility that the problem could worsen drastically as demand continues to rise. Furthermore, coca is a hardy plant that can survive in even harsh climes. Thus, it may only be a matter of time before West Africa's drug trafficking problem becomes a drug production problem.