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3/15/09

Washington Post: Guinea narcostate revealed in TV confessions - cocaine sent to Europe in the country's diplomatic pouch - by Rukmini Callimachi

For the complete report from the washingtonpost.com click on this link

Guinea narcostate revealed in TV confessions - cocaine sent to Europe in the country's diplomatic pouch - by Rukmini Callimachi

As the people of Guinea sat transfixed before their TV sets, top government officials one after another confessed to their role in a lucrative international cocaine trade. Organized by a military junta that seized power three months ago, the confessions offer unprecedented insight into an exploding drug trade in West Africa, one that connects coca leaves grown in South American fields to cocaine users in European.

A recent United Nations report found that at least 46 tons of cocaine have been seized en route to Europe via West Africa since 2005, bringing profits that sometimes exceed the entire defense budgets of countries it passes through. Before that time, less than a ton a year was seized from the entire continent. "The vast majority of cocaine that is destined for Europe is now going through West Africa," said Michael Braun, who was the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's operations chief when he retired in October. Note EU-Digest: Although there have been warnings about ongoing large drug shipments from South America via Africa to Europe for many months now, very little seems to be done on the European end of this criminal trade route. It is high time serious attention is given by the European political and judicial establishment to stop this exploding drug trade which has gotten totally out of hand.

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