This archive report was first published on 23 June 2021.
Published on June 23, 2021, a study by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) has revealed that Madagascar is emerging as a significant drug trafficking hub in the western Indian Ocean.
According to the study, corruption and strategic location are the primary factors behind Madagascar's rise as a major player in the global drug trade. The island nation's proximity to major trafficking routes, including those for heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine, has made it an attractive location for drug traffickers.
GI-TOC's senior analyst, Lucia Bird, stated that drug markets are expanding and diversifying, fueling corruption and driving growing domestic consumption. She noted that in Madagascar and Comoros, corrupt elements in state institutions facilitate drug markets, while in Seychelles and Mauritius, drugs have become the major criminal economy.
The study highlights the vulnerability of Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros, Madagascar, and the French Overseas Territories of Mayotte and Réunion due to their proximity to major trafficking routes. Madagascar's rise as a transshipment hub is linked to the southern route shifts along the East African coast, with disembarkation points for ships carrying heroin moving from Kenya to Tanzania and ports in northern Mozambique.
According to GI-TOC's analyst, Julia Stanyard, the majority of heroin arriving in Madagascar is trafficked to other Indian Ocean island states, while a portion is moved onwards by air to Europe and North America using mules. She warned that commentators have been warning for years that Madagascar is at risk of becoming a hub for international drug trafficking, and the study's findings confirm these warnings.
However, growing law enforcement efforts have displaced landing points on Africa's eastern seaboard, contributing to Madagascar's increasingly role as a repackaging and redistribution hub. The study notes that there is low naval or coastguard capacity to monitor Madagascar's 5,000-kilometer shoreline, which is peppered with informal ports and landing points. Limited infrastructure and armed cattle rustling and banditry also make state oversight of rural and coastal areas minimal.
Transhipment at sea from larger vessels to smaller boats is a common way of importing drugs across the islands. Drug cargoes are offloaded either directly onto small boats or into the sea as coordinates are shared with accomplices on land.
