East and Southern Africa conduits for organised crime

East and Southern Africa are regarded as a central component for organised crime, which connects regional criminal markets to global networks, reports The Mercury. This was revealed in the Global Initiative report, which found the region serves as a thriving source, hub and conduit for a variety of illegal commodities. These criminal syndicates operate from the shores of Somalia to border crossings and international air and sea points in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, SA and Namibia. For example, heroin trafficked from Afghanistan via Pakistan and Iran is shipped across the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean by boat before it is deposited in northern Mozambique and Tanzania. There, according to the report titled Mapping Organised Criminal Economies in East and Southern Africa, it splits into two supply lines: One of higher purity for Europe and Australia and another significantly adulterated and consumed in East and Southern Africa. Rhino horn is smuggled from Johannesburg and Addis Ababa, routed through Dubai and Doha and sometimes Paris and London. Ivory departs in shipping containers from ports in Dar es Salaam, Nampula and Durban, ending up in Singapore, Sihanoukville, Huangpu and Haiphong. Gold is mined illegally in Zimbabwe and in Krugersdorp, Carletonville, Klerksdorp and Welkom. It laundered through Dubai. In northern Mozambique and KZN, Islamic State-aligned insurgents and supporters have been implicated in criminal economies, gold smuggling, and kidnapping and extortion schemes to raise funds.

Full report in The Mercury