Transnational organised crime in Eastern Africa: A threat assessment

According to this UNODC report, more than 100,000 people were smuggled out of the region last year alone, generating over $15 million for organized criminal networks operating on the maritime crossing from the Horn of Africa. Ivory poaching, which results in up to 154 metric tons being taken annually, led to an additional $30 million in illicit revenue just from Asian markets. Drugs are an increasingly lucrative illicit trade.

The report - Transnational Organized Crime in Eastern Africa: A Threat Assessment - is aimed at highlighting the most pressing transnational organized crime threats facing the region. Looking at some of the key areas, this latest report focuses on four such concerns: migrant smuggling from Ethiopia and Somalia to Yemen and Saudi Arabia; heroin trafficking from South-West Asia to Eastern Africa; ivory trafficking through Eastern Africa to Asia; and Somali maritime piracy.

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