A security operation has persisted for four years between the National Police and the Civil Guard in Campo de Gibraltar, Cadiz. By the end of April, authorities reported more than 10,000 arrests of drug trafficking suspects and seizures totaling 1,400 tons. Much of the illicit cargo is traced to the Sahel corridor, with drugs entering Europe from Latin America via Africa, according to Interior Ministry sources cited by El Periódico de España.
The Sahel forms a belt across Africa, from the Atlantic coast in the west to the Red Sea in the east. In its western part, near southern Morocco and Algeria, several countries face deep political instability and severe jihadist threats. The zone most directly concerning the border triangle of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso hosts groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. European and international troops, including Spanish, French, German forces and United Nations personnel, remain present in the region.
Civil Guard agents in an operation at Campo de Gibraltar EFE
Interior ministry sources explain that the Sahel corridor, due to porous borders, weak state structures, and its proximity to Europe, serves as a central hub for illicit activity. They note recurring instability that has transformed the Sahel into a center of illicit operations in recent years, involving arms, drugs, human trafficking, smuggling, and money laundering, all of which bolster terrorist networks.
Jihadist groups in the region are frequently involved in drug trafficking, though they cannot be simply described as a narcotics operation. They profit in two main ways: first, drug traffickers pay these groups to guard routes through the Sahel toward sub-Saharan Africa and into Europe; second, factions and transit networks operate by identifying routes and exploiting gaps in surveillance.
Landing in West Africa
Latin American cocaine reaches West African shores due to limited regional capacity. When a navy counts only a few patrol boats and there is no significant aerial capability, the challenge of preventing incursions becomes clear. This reality complicates efforts to curb drug movement into Europe, as noted by El Periódico de España, with analysis from Paul Melly, an Africa specialist at the British think tank Chatham House.
Beyond cocaine, the trafficking landscape includes marijuana, heroin, and synthetic drugs, but cocaine remains the leading product in terms of volume and revenue for criminal networks in the region.
National borders across Africa stay highly permeable. Traffickers cross them with ease, with routes often traversing the Sahara on motorcycles or off-road vehicles. The Sahel landscape evokes vast semi-deserts and scrublands, stretching thousands of miles with sparse vegetation. Satellite monitoring exists in some capacity, yet the tools available are limited, hindering full efforts to curb the flow of goods.
Libya also figures prominently, having fractured into competing zones since the 2011 upheaval that toppled Muammar Gaddafi. The trafficking of drugs and arms remains lucrative, drawing various external players into the conflict, including the Wagner mercenary group. These forces contribute weapons and know-how that eventually reach Sahel governments and extremist groups in the region.
Jihad and Drug Prohibition
Islamic law prohibits drugs, and in places such as Afghanistan, the long-standing link between opium and insurgent networks has been documented, illustrating potential overlaps between jihadist spaces in the Sahel. Some scholars question the extent of overlap between terrorism and drug networks in the region, though many observe that illicit economies and violence reinforce each other.
The name of a singular link widely cited is that of a high-profile trafficker who rose to prominence in West Africa’s jihadist circles. His political ties enabled direct landings of Colombian cocaine flights on a Saharan airstrip, highlighting how criminal and extremist networks can intersect in ways that complicate governance.
Analysts describe the Sahel’s drug problem as one among many major challenges. Terror remains the most pressing danger, while local grievances over land, water, and pasture access contribute to unrest. Youths drawn into armed groups often seek money and security, and persistent violence and distrust are common. The presence of militant ideologies such as ISIS and al-Qaeda has grown over a decade, driven by a harsh climate and scarce resources.
The region faces climate pressures as droughts persist. Rainfall is limited to a brief window, and population growth remains high in several countries. The combination of rural dependence, pressure on land and water resources, and slow development intensifies conflict risk, complicating efforts to stabilize communities and restrict illicit economies.