REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori
Recent major seizures of cocaine headed to North Africa indicate that the region is becoming a hub for trafficking.
Traffickers are eager to get increasing cocaine crops to major markets in Europe and the Middle East, and the shift to North Africa is likely due in part to tighter enforcement in West Africa.
Within the span of a week, cocaine was discovered in two separate maritime cargo containers bound for Libya, a strong indication that both the North African country and the broader region are becoming increasingly used cocaine transit routes to Europe and the Middle East.