Africa's link to ‘supercartel’ unpacked

Evidence suggests that Edin Gacanin, who is accused of being one of the world’s most prolific drug traffickers and the head of an organised crime cartel, has been operating via Durban. The Daily Maverick reports that this ties SA to a global ‘supercartel’ that is thought to have its headquarters in Dubai. On 12 January 2021, a container ship travelling from Durban entered the port of Rotterdam and 739kgs of cocaine was discovered in a container. This consignment suggests that one of the world’s top trafficking accused, who is also a convict, has operated via SA – and that the country is very much a player among international drug and money laundering cartels. Together they make up what the police in Europe have described as a ‘supercartel’, with trails leading to Durban, Dubai, Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the world’s top cocaine producer, Colombia.