South American drug traffickers used a Boeing cargo jet to smuggle drugs to West Africa earlier this month.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says that, as far as known, this is the first time such a large plane has been used to transport drugs. The Boeing crashed on its return flight after delivering its cargo of Venezuelan cocaine to Mali. In the past few years, West Africa has become a major transit point for cocaine, and there have been signals that the region may take up the production of narcotics.

This summer, Guinean soldiers discovered large quantities of chemicals for the production of heroin, cocaine and Ecstasy. Nigerian criminals importing opium from Pakistan are reportedly involved in efforts to start up production in West Africa. The UN fear the region may see an outbreak of violence between rival African and South American drug gangs.

Photo: confiscated cocaine (Flickr / ISN Security Watch)