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Drug smugglers are increasingly targeting South African ports for their illicit operations – using the country as an easy gateway to push cocaine and other substances to international markets.
According to United Nations data, cocaine seizures in South Africa skyrocketed to just under 5,000kg in 2021 – more than total cocaine seizures in the country from 2002 to 2020 combined.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) recently seized cocaine worth R80 million at the Dube Trade Port at the King Shaka International Airport in Durban. The cocaine was from Brazil and entered South Africa through the Durban Harbour.
“Members tracked a certain container to the Dube Trade Port, in which 228 blocks of cocaine were seized,” the SAPS said.
“The cocaine was found concealed in meat boxes and disguised as such. This is the second drug bust in (as many) days, this after R70 million worth of cocaine was also seized from a container at the Durban Harbour.”
Police said that they are investigating where the final destination of these drugs would be; however, it is unlikely that most of these shipments would end up with South African consumers.
“South Africa does have a cocaine-consuming population, but it’s relatively small compared to other drugs, such as marijuana,” Criminologist Guy Lamb told eNCA.
Although there are niche communities of wealthy cocaine users in South Africa, the high levels of unemployment, poverty, the weakness of the rand, and drugs in the market mean that producers mainly use the country as a distribution hub for their earnings.
“So most of the cocaine is destined to go to North America – the U.S. or Canada – or it goes to Western Europe, or it goes to Europe or Australia,” Lamb added.
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC’s) Global Report on Cocaine in 2023, large amounts of cocaine entered Durban Harbour from Latin America and were then transported via sea to Australia.
Despite the cost of cocaine, the UNODC warned the inflows could raise the prospects of a rebound in the domestic market.
Lamb said that corruption plays a role at the Durban Port, which could allow for greater infiltration of criminal groups into the port.
Although there are a number of control mechanisms at the Durban Port already, such as scanners, Lamb added that these should be tightened further and have intelligence-led policing to figure out how these syndicates use the port.
If the port becomes more expensive and difficult to do business with, the syndicates will move elsewhere.
However, cocaine is not only going through sea routes, with the image above showing that Gqeberha – F.K.A. Port Elizabeth – is used as an air gub for cocaine shipments to Asia.
From 2018 to 2021, customs officials at airports in four Western and Central European countries seized cocaine consignments departing from South Africa. This was only bettered by Kenya and Nigeria.
Cocaine seizures have also skyrocketed in South Africa, with nearly 5,000 kg seized in 2021, whereas from 2002 to 2020, not a single year saw more than 1,000 kg seized.
“Indeed seizure data suggest that cocaine flows into South Africa have increased significantly in recent years, and the majority of this is likely further trafficked to other countries, consolidating South Africa’s long-standing role as a transit country as confirmed by South African countries,” UNODC said.
“Over the period from 2018-2021, reporting to UNODC via the Annual Report Questionnaire indicates trafficking from South Africa to 13 countries or territories, including regional neighbours but also disparate destinations such as Australia, India, Hong Kong, China, Macao, China, Pakistan, Timor-Leste, and the U.K.”
Read: A new type of mafia is thriving in South Africa
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