A new report released on Monday by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime has highlighted West Africa’s rapidly expanding role in global cocaine trafficking networks, pointing to Sierra Leone as a key emerging transit hub.
The findings come after a record seizure in early May, 2026 when Spanish authorities intercepted a cargo ship carrying more than 30 tonnes of cocaine. The vessel, which had departed from Freetown, Sierra Leone, was stopped near the Canary Islands.
According to the survey, Sierra Leone is increasingly being used as a storage and redistribution point for cocaine shipments destined for Europe, with traffickers relying on small cargo vessels to move drugs onward from the region.
The report suggests that West African trafficking routes, once primarily seen as entry points for cocaine from Latin America, are now evolving into sophisticated export corridors feeding European markets.
Data cited from the European Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre indicates that the average size of cocaine shipments seized along West African routes more than doubled between 2024 and 2025, signalling growing scale and confidence among trafficking networks.
The investigation also points to possible links with organised crime groups operating in Europe, including networks associated with Dutch trafficker Jos Leijdekkers. Researchers say the May seizure reflects only a fraction of the total volume moving through the region, describing it as evidence of a deepening and increasingly entrenched criminal supply chain between West Africa and Europe.