The African continent prides itself on being home to most of the precious minerals in the world, with many of them being exported for income.
There are, however, fears that its biggest exports may now be shifting to something more disturbing – drugs.
Last week, it was reported that as much as $800 million worth of heroin is shipped annually from beaches of Mozambique to neighbouring countries and to Europe.
“Mozambique is a significant heroin transit centre and the trade has increased to 40 tons or more per year, making it a major export which contributes up to $100 million per year to the local economy.
“With an export value of $20 million per ton, heroin is probably the country’s largest or second-largest export after coal,” according to a research report cited by Bloomberg.
In recent years, Africa has increasingly become the major transit points for cocaine smugglers, as these drugs continue to be in high demand universally.
Here are other top cocaine transit points in Africa:
