From: OECD | Sahel and West African Club
Less often highlighted than trafficking in arms, drugs, human beings or
cars, cigarette trafficking illustrates the capacity of illicit networks
to effectively use “nomadic know-how”. Until the opening up of the
Algerian cigarette market in 2005, large quantities of cigarettes
crossed thousands of kilometres, for example from the ports of
Nouadhibou or Cotonou to Alger or Tripoli. Cigarette trafficking is
estimated to account for 10% or more (depending on the source) of
world-wide production. The bulk of contraband cigarettes that move
through the Sahel are manufactured in Asia.
