Mafia Using South Africa as Major Gateway to Smuggle Cocaine: UN Report

Cocaine was found in over 1,700 tins of wall filler after German authorities seized more than 16 tons of cocaine in the northern port city of Hamburg, Germany, on Feb. 24, 2020, in Europe's largest cocaine haul to date. Cathrin Mueller/Reuters

JOHANNESBURG—The globe’s biggest narcotraffickers are increasingly using South African ports to smuggle cocaine around the world—including to the United States—according to a new report by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.

South Africa features prominently in the agency’s Global Report on Cocaine 2023.