Sierra Leone has been identified as a key hub in a growing transatlantic cocaine trafficking network following the record seizure of 30.2 tonnes of cocaine aboard the cargo vessel Arconian.
A new report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime says the shipment, intercepted by Spanish authorities on May 1, 2026, was likely loaded in Sierra Leone before being transported towards Europe.
The study highlights West Africa’s increasing role as a storage and redistribution point for cocaine destined for European markets, with traffickers reportedly using cargo ships to move large quantities of drugs before transferring them to smaller vessels near destinations such as the Canary Islands, Morocco, and Libya.
According to the report, investigators identified several voyages between 2024 and 2026 that displayed similar trafficking patterns, including prolonged periods at sea and repeated changes of vessel registration.
Researchers say Sierra Leone has re-emerged as a strategic transit and storage location after previously serving as a major trafficking route in the 2000s.
The report also suggests that the evolving smuggling methods may explain declining cocaine seizures in some European ports despite continued growth in supply, reflected in falling wholesale prices in countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium.
The study further points to alleged links between some of the vessels under investigation and the network of Dutch drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers, although inquiries into those connections remain ongoing.
