National Threat Assessment 2008. Organised Crime - Politie

2.2.2 General context
Production
For years now, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia have been the three major cocaineproducing
countries. The global production of cocaine generally remained stable
in 2005 and 2006. In 2006 a total of 156,900 hectares of coca were cultivated
in the three aforementioned countries. Whereas the total number of hectares
cultivated is significantly lower than in the 1980s and 1990s, the actual
production of cocaine has only fallen marginally (-2%). The yield per hectare has
risen dramatically due to more efficient cocaine laboratories and the higher level
of knowledge of the producers. The processing of coca leaves into coca paste
and coca base is carried out in the vicinity of the cultivation sites in Colombia,
Bolivia and Peru. The level of overall cocaine production is estimated at around
1 million kilograms per year.
Transit countries and smuggling routes
The vast majority of South-American production of cocaine is exported to other
continents. The largest user populations are in the US and Europe. The routes
by which the cocaine is smuggled to the destination countries are increasingly
varied. The cocaine is by no means always delivered directly; in most cases
stopovers are used to disguise the origin of the shipment. Sometimes these
stopovers are made in the larger South-American countries, such as Brazil and
Argentina, and sometimes the route runs via the Caribbean. More recently, West
Africa has started to play a larger role. Traditional trade patterns are changing,
and the number of countries involved is increasing. Whereas 20 years ago
cocaine was seized in 69 countries, this had risen to 131 different countries by
2005. Many of these countries are located in (West) Africa and are ideal transit
countries for drugs because of the lack of a proper government. The country
that is most striking in this regard is Guinea-Bissau, which is one of the poorest
countries on earth. By smuggling 6 kg of cocaine, an inhabitant of Guinea-
Bissau can earn the equivalent of an annual salary. This former Portuguese
colony is struggling with a failing legal system and a corrupt army leadership
and is increasingly referred to internationally as the first African ‘narco-state’.
In 2007 the UN stated that Colombian networks operating in Guinea-Bissau
have their own logistical facilities such as a runway and refuelling stations for
boats and ships.
No cocaine shipments coming in from Africa by sea were intercepted in the
Netherlands in 2005 and 2006. However, this does not mean that there are
no such shipments. Cases have been recorded in which cocaine was smuggled
from African countries as air freight or by using couriers. In addition, Colombian
groups in Africa, including in Togo, Nigeria and Ghana, have set up companies
chapter 2 – Illegal markets
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