Both licit and illicit cargos are assessed road taxes, though illicit goods like drugs and arms are subject to seizure by militia troops. While international law enforcement inter- viewees generally portrayed both Kenya and Somalia as drug “transit countries” with low levels of domestic consumption, this perception is in direct conflict with information gathered from community members and gang members involved in the illicit drugs market. Further, both law enforcement and policymakers rejected the idea that al- Shabaab was involved in the illegal drugs market, citing their Islamist beliefs and the group’s campaign against khat during the group’s early years of activity.
Several of the dealers I interviewed, however, described how al-Shabaab essentially treated drugs as another commodity to be taxed, collecting both “per bag” taxes as well as taxing the trucks moving the supply. The official misperception may well be a function of a highly porous border with limited customs and border patrol capability, poor intelligence gathering, and a low prioritization of drug trafficking in the region. Underreporting may also be because interviews suggest a high degree of drug usage among street level officers, incentivizing underreporting in favor of confiscation for personal use. Both cocaine and heroin are shipped via air. Heroin originates in Afghanistan, travels overland to Somalia, where it is disguised as South African wine and shipped in crates to Europe. Cocaine, in contrast, usually begins in Latin America and moves through Somalia to West Africa and the Middle East. “Dirty” cocaine (or cocaine that has been extensively cut with other materials like flour, bleach, or baking powder) retails for 150 Kenyan shillings “a high” (or about $1.50) – about 1/10th of a gram.
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From: Cows, Charcoal, and Cocaine: Al-Shabaab’s
Criminal Activities in the Horn of Africa
Several of the dealers I interviewed, however, described how al-Shabaab essentially treated drugs as another commodity to be taxed, collecting both “per bag” taxes as well as taxing the trucks moving the supply. The official misperception may well be a function of a highly porous border with limited customs and border patrol capability, poor intelligence gathering, and a low prioritization of drug trafficking in the region. Underreporting may also be because interviews suggest a high degree of drug usage among street level officers, incentivizing underreporting in favor of confiscation for personal use. Both cocaine and heroin are shipped via air. Heroin originates in Afghanistan, travels overland to Somalia, where it is disguised as South African wine and shipped in crates to Europe. Cocaine, in contrast, usually begins in Latin America and moves through Somalia to West Africa and the Middle East. “Dirty” cocaine (or cocaine that has been extensively cut with other materials like flour, bleach, or baking powder) retails for 150 Kenyan shillings “a high” (or about $1.50) – about 1/10th of a gram.
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From: Cows, Charcoal, and Cocaine: Al-Shabaab’s
Criminal Activities in the Horn of Africa
