By Lawrence Williams
A new report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime has identified Sierra Leone, among other West African countries, as an increasingly important hub in the global cocaine trade.
The report, Cocaine Markets in West Africa: Mapping Impacts, Routes, Trends and Actors (March 2026), paints a detailed picture of a rapidly expanding illicit economy, with Sierra Leone positioned within what researchers describe as a “growing warehousing and redistribution zone” for cocaine destined primarily for Europe.
According to the study, West Africa has become a strategic trans-shipment node due to its geographic position between Latin American producers and European markets. Increasingly, cocaine is routed through countries such as Sierra Leone, where it is stored, repackaged, and re-exported.
The report highlights that cocaine trafficking has been the fastest-growing criminal market in West Africa since 2019, with up to 30 percent of Europe’s cocaine transiting through the West African corridor as multi-tonne consignments are now warehoused across the region.
Sierra Leone is specifically identified as part of the “Western Hub” of coastal states used for maritime trafficking and redistribution of cocaine.
A central warning in the report is the deepening link between cocaine trafficking and governance vulnerabilities. Researchers note that the profitability of the cocaine trade fuels corruption within state institutions, enables traffickers to “buy protection” across political and security structures, reduces the risk of interception, thereby making West African routes more attractive than direct routes
The report stops short of naming specific Sierra Leonean officials but emphasizes that “state-embedded actors” across the region play a role in facilitating trafficking networks.
The study also underscores the growing presence of foreign criminal networks operating in West Africa, including European and Latin American groups working alongside regional intermediaries. These networks, it said, use maritime routes as the primary trafficking channel. They rely on local brokers and facilitators who exploit weak regulatory systems to expand their trade infrastructure.
The report further highlights a broader trend of countries with weak enforcement environments it said risk becoming safe operating bases for transnational criminals.
Security analysts say the trends outlined in the report raise concerns that Sierra Leone and similar states could become attractive destinations for individuals fleeing law enforcement pressure elsewhere.
The report explains that traffickers are increasingly shifting routes due to intensified crackdowns in Europe and Latin America, seeking jurisdictions with lower surveillance and enforcement risks, and embedding themselves in local economies through legitimate business fronts
This dynamic creates the potential for high-value drug fugitives to relocate or operate from the region, particularly where oversight gaps exist.
The report made mention of Dutch cocaine kingpin Jos Leijdekkers (alias Omar Sherif) who, it said, identified West Africa as a strategic operating base in the face of judicial proceedings, and is believed to have operated through Sierra Leone since at least 2022.
”Dutch national Jos Leijdekkers, sentenced in 2024 and 2025 on drug trafficking charges, was based in Sierra Leone and closely connected to members of the presidential family and other state actors,” the report stated.
“His apparent impunity in the country, despite widespread media and international law enforcement focus, may act as an advert for other kingpins fleeing justice elsewhere.”
It said the bulk of cocaine trafficking into and out of West Africa occurs via maritime routes, often using fishing vessels and cargo ships; containerized shipments concealed in legitimate goods; and offshore transfers that avoid formal ports. The report noted that low seizure rates do not indicate low trafficking, but rather limited detection capacity and intelligence gaps.
The report warns that without stronger oversight, financial regulation, and enforcement coordination, the cocaine economy could become further entrenched in state and commercial systems.
Noting that persistent data gaps continue to limit the effectiveness of responses to the cocaine trade, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime emphasizes the need for improved intelligence-sharing, strengthened anti-money laundering systems, greater scrutiny of ports and trade flows, and strong regional cooperation
The report concludes that West Africa’s role in the global cocaine market is no longer peripheral but central and expanding. The challenge now lies in how states could prevent this transit hub from evolving into a long-term operational base for international criminal networks.
