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| Africa Subsaharan |
| CONAKRY, Guinea – Guinea's presidential guard unloads cocaine shipments |
| 2009-03-14 |
| CONAKRY, Guinea – When the planes arrived loaded with cocaine, it was Guinea's presidential guard that secured the cargo. Drug deals were conducted inside the first lady's private residence and in the president's VIP salon at the international airport. To avoid detection, cocaine was sent to Europe in the country's diplomatic pouch. As the people of Guinea sit transfixed before their TV sets, top government officials one after another are confessing to their role in a lucrative international cocaine trade. Organized by a military junta that seized power three months ago, the confessions offer unprecedented insight into an exploding drug trade in West Africa, one that connects coca leaves grown in South American fields to cocaine in European discos. The confessions paint a picture of an illicit trade conducted with total impunity, with the help of officials, members of the president's family and security forces. They also show the large role Guinea and other West African countries are playing as drug hubs, and how vulnerable they are to the corrupting influence of drug dollars. |
| Posted by:3dc |