Senegal Seizes 750 Kilos of Cocaine in Shipments Set for Europe
(Bloomberg) -- Senegal seized 750 kilos (1,650 pounds) of cocaine Sunday on a ship traveling from Brazil, hidden inside 15 cars with final destinations that included Europe, in the latest large drug seizure off the West African coast this year.
The cocaine was packed in travel bags in the cars on the ship, which had arrived at the port in the capital Dakar on Saturday, news site Dakaractu reported, citing port authorities. The cars were destined for Germany and Ghana, the website said.
Record cocaine busts in Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau earlier this year indicate West Africa is making a comeback as a transit point for cocaine from South America to Europe. Authorities in the two former Portuguese colonies have intercepted as much as 10.4 tons of the narcotic this year, more than the total amount seized on the continent between 2013 and 2016, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Rising Output
In January, Cape Verde seized 9.5 tons of cocaine in one of the region's largest ever hauls. A month later, Guinea-Bissau recorded its biggest bust of cocaine yet when it intercepted almost 800 kilos hidden in a fish truck bound for Mali. Senegalese customs officials earlier this week seized 238 kilos of cocaine hidden in cars on a ship heading from Brazil to Angola.
A sharp increase in global cocaine output led by Colombia in recent years could help explain West Africa's resurgence as a route, with traffickers looking to diversify destinations, Mark Shaw, director of Geneva-based Global Initiative Against Transnational Crime, told Bloomberg in March.
Ivorian authorities earlier this month arrested several members of a trafficking network trying to move almost 2 tons of cocaine from Brazil via Ivory Coast to Europe. Senegalese authorities on Sunday said they had made several arrests including a number of foreigners without specifying their nationalities.
--With assistance from Alonso Soto.
To contact the reporter on this story: Katarina Hoije in Abidjan at khoije@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: John McCorry at jmccorry@bloomberg.net, Kevin Miller, Ian Fisher
©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
-
Indians Stay With Family, Not In Hotels | The Reason Why
India still lacks enough clean, reliable and affordable hotels for budget-conscious travellers.
-
The Economic Imperative: Analysing The Material Driving Force Behind India-Canada Strategic Reset
This economic complementarity is further reinforced by deep institutional investment ties and talent mobility, which form the bedrock of the bilateral framework.
-
Medicine Pricing: Where Must Profit Stop?
India must confront excessive margins, hidden incentives and regulatory gaps that threaten the integrity of medicine.
-
Why Amazon And Flipkart Are Struggling To Beat Meesho In India's Smaller Cities
With 274 million users and lowest-cost logistics, Meesho is defending its value commerce crown against giants like Amazon and Flipkart.
-
High US Salaries, No Green Card Certainty: The Financial Calculation Facing Indian H-1B Families
The suspension of PERM processing at eight technology employers does not cancel existing H-1B visas. What it does is force a question many Indian families have been avoiding: is the US salary worth tying your career and family plans to one employer?
-
Swiggy vs Eternal: Food Delivery's Two Rivals Are No Longer In The Same Race
Eternal is building a private AI assistant, dark.ai. Swiggy is still working out how to make Instamart pay, with an operating loss of Rs 895 crore in the July-September quarter while Blinkit stayed profitable.
-
Where You Live Shapes How You Get To Work | The Reason Why
Two-wheelers are the most popular way to get to work in India, accounting for nearly 43% of workplace commutes.
-
Unhedged Position: Can India See An Indonesia-Style Time Correction?
The Nifty is trading below levels it first clocked in 2024. Is there, then, as I have suggested in the headline, potential that the current time correction drags on painfully for the next three-five, even ten years?
-
Navigating Friction And Energy Realities: An Analysis Of Marco Rubio's October Visit To India
Occurring at a critical juncture marked by stalled trade negotiations and escalating geopolitical pressures over global energy supplies, the visit offers a profound window into modern US-India relations.
-
India Exports Capital. Why Not Export Trusteeship?
The big question, then, is whether India can build an institution that global borrowers, investors, banks, and lawyers can trust, even without an Indian connection.
