Police officers weigh pure cocaine seized at the Durban Harbour. Africa's ports should serve as gateways to prosperity. Not corridors for criminal empires, says the writer.
Kim Heller
Ninety kilograms of cocaine were seized at the Durban Harbour on 6 June 2026. This illicit cargo, hidden in excavators, was sent from Brazil's port of Santos. Just days later, a second consignment of drugs was intercepted at the same harbour.
The intricacy of the concealment procedures carried the hallmark of well-organised drug cartels anchored in Brazil, including groups such as the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC).
The PCC, one of the most notorious criminal enterprises in Latin America, and affiliated trafficking networks are not only embedded in the cocaine corridors of West Africa. Still, they are believed to be extending their reach across Southern and Eastern Africa.
