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BRAZIL: INCREASE IN DRUG SMUGGLING
Published: 20 May 2021
Correspondents in Brazil have warned about recent incidents of drugs being smuggled on board. In response to increased global demand, there has been extensive growth in cocaine production in South America. Although not a significant producer, Brazil is the second largest consumer and shares borders with the Andean producing countries, which rely on its extensive port system along the Atlantic Coast to ship drugs to Europe and, in growing numbers, for markets in Africa and Asia.
While drug shipments are moved mostly in containers, there is a rise in the number of bulk carriers leaving Brazilian ports with cocaine concealed with the cargo or within the vessel itself. In a new developing trend, covert divers attach packages to the vessel’s hull for retrieval at the destination.