In this article, we will look at 20 countries with the highest number of drug trafficking in the world. If you want to skip our detailed discussion on drug abuse and trafficking in the United States, go to 5 Countries With The Highest Number of Drug Trafficking in the World.

Drug abuse is one of the major challenges to the United States. Between July 2022 and July 2023, over 106,000 Americans died because of drug overdose. While this is a slight decrease compared to previous years, overdose deaths are still significant. The country saw a continual rise in overdose deaths until 2021, during which the drug overdose death toll crossed the 100,000 mark. Overdose death is just one aspect of the menace drug abuse has caused in American society. It has far-reaching effects on various aspects of society, including the economy and public health. Substance abuse costs the American economy nearly $3.73 trillion annually.

The costs include loss of productivity, overburdened healthcare and justice systems, and environmental destruction. The federal government spends $20 billion each year on interventions to try to reduce drug consumption. Addicts are usually dependent on their families for several negative effects of drug abuse, such as injury and accidents.

Drug abuse in the country also increases significant costs to the government in terms of treatments and incarceration. It also hurts labor productivity because of the high prevalence of absenteeism and turnover among addicts. Drug abusers pose a danger to themselves and others. More than 38,000 people died in 2007 because of drug-induced cases in the United States.

One drug-induced death occurs every fifteen minutes in the country. One of the major reasons for these deaths is drug-induced driving. According to the National Roadside Survey in 2007, one in eight nighttime drivers tested positive for at least one illicit drug. In 2009, a self-report survey found that 10.5 million Americans reported driving under the influence at least once in the past year. In addition, one-third of the drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents tested positive for drugs. 

The United States has a huge market for illicit drugs. Users spend around 100 billion in 2010 dollars on cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin. While the amount of cocaine consumption decreased by 50% from 2006 to 2010, marijuana consumption increased by 30%. 

Since the United States is one of the largest markets for illicit drugs, it is one of the most sought-after destinations for international drug trafficking. The majority of illicit drugs used in the United States are smuggled through Mexico. A much lesser quantity also ends up in the country through Canadian borders. Drug smuggling through these two borders happens through an overland route. However, a lesser, but significant quantity of drugs ends up in the United States through the sea. Large quantities of drug seizures occur in the US ports but most of them are often destined for other countries as the United States also plays the role of transit country. Currently, there are eight principal drug corridors, the primary of which is called drug corridor A. 

Meanwhile, some companies are involved in mitigating the effects of drug abuse. Some pharmaceutical companies, such as ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) and TONIX Pharmaceutical Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:TNXP), are developing and introducing new drugs to combat drug abuse effects. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) has recently discovered a G Protein-Coupled receptor called GPR88agonist. It has the potential to enable improved treatment for substance abuse and dependency. ACADIA Pharmaceticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) has a promising future because of these discoveries. TONIX Pharmaceutical Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:TNXP) is developing improved drugs to combat drug abuse. It recently developed a TNX-1300 for cocaine intoxication. This drug by TONIX Pharmaceutical Holding Corporation (NASDAQ:TNXP) is being called “breakthrough Therapy” by the FDA. 

With that backdrop, let’s look at 20 countries with the highest number of drug trafficking in the world.                                                                                            

Methodology 

For our list of the countries with the highest number of drug trafficking in the world, we used the organized crime index. The index is a combination of several crime-related indexes, of which we were particularly interested in the cocaine trade, marijuana trade and heroin trade. For each country, we noted its major trafficked drug and checked the score from the index. For example, for Afghanistan, we checked the score of the heroin trade index and for Brazil, we checked the cocaine trade index score. As a first tiebreaker, we used the criminality index score, since the higher the criminality in the country, the more prevanlent the drug trafficking. The second tiebreaker we used was the criminal market index. 

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20 – Guinea-Bissau

Cocaine Trade Score – 8.50

Guinea-Bissau is considered a key entry point for cocaine into West Africa. The country has a fragile internal environment, which coupled with its location, has made it an attractive location for drug cartels. The political and military elite in the country are also considered to be involved in cocaine trafficking. 

19- Jamaica

Cannabis Trade Score – 8.50

Jamaica is one of the largest suppliers of Marijuana to the United States and the Caribbean. It has lengthy and rugged coastlines, which are difficult to patrol, making the country an ideal transit location for drug traffickers. Jamaica also serves as a transit position for drugs leaving for Central America. In addition, corruption at the country’s ports and airports facilitates drug trafficking. 

18 – Guyana

Cocaine Trade Score – 8.50

Guyana is a significant transit country for cocaine trafficking. Drugs primarily transit through the country for the US and Europe. It has poorly monitored ports, remote airstrips, and an intricate network of rivers, which makes it an ideal transit country for drug traffickers. 

17 – Guatemala

Cocaine Trade Score – 8.50

Guatemala is one of the countries with the highest number of drug trafficking in the world. It is a major transit point for drug shipments in the United States. It lies in the path of cocaine movement from Colombia to America. In addition, some Mexican drug cartels have established poppy-growing operations in the country. 

16 – Pakistan

HeroinTrade Score – 8.50

Pakistan is one of the countries with the highest number of drug trafficking in the world. It has porous borders with Afghanistan, which is one of the largest producers of heroin. The country has also faced emerging trends of illicit production and trafficking in synthetic drugs, such as methamphetamines.

15 – Brazil 

Cocaine Trade Score – 8.50

Brazil serves as a major transit point for cocaine shipments to Europe and the US. It has porous borders with some of the major drug trafficking nations, such as Venezuela, which also makes it easy for drugs to go through the country. Brazil has a strategic position in South America with an extensive coastline and numerous ports, making it an ideal transit country. It is often alleged that the political elite of the country are involved in the cocaine trade. 

14 – Panama

Cocaine Trade Score – 8.50

Panama is one of the countries with the highest number of drug trafficking in the world. It serves as a logistics hub for drug shipment to Europe and the United States. In 2021, authorities in Panama confiscated 126 tonnes of drugs, which was mainly cocaine. Panama is a free trade zone where cocaine enters containers, either directly from Buenaventura or through land routes. 

13 – Turkey

HeroinTrade Score – 8.50

Turkey is one of the top 15 countries with the highest number of drug trafficking in the world. It is a significant transit country for heroin, which comes from Afghanistan, Iran, and Syria. Drugs are then transported from Turkey along the Balkan route to the European markets. In addition, there are some reports which claim that some of the heroin is made within the country from opium obtained from Afghanistan. Drug trafficking is a complex issue within the country, as the authorities claim that The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is involved in it. 

12 – Honduras

Cocaine Trade Score – 8.50

Honduras has been one of the major transit hubs for cocaine and its precursors since the 1970s. Recently, it has emerged as a focal point for drugs being transported to the United States. It has an ideal location between the South American producers and North American consumer countries. There is a high level of corruption among security forces and other governing bodies, which facilitates cocaine trafficking in the country. 

11 – Ecuador

Cocaine Trade Score – 8.50

Ecuador has a strategic location between Peru and Colombia, two of the world’s largest cocaine producers. It serves as a transit country for cocaine destined for the United States and Europe. Drug trafficking within the country has also given rise to gang violence., which has resulted in a high rate of violent crimes. 

10 – Paraguay

Cocaine Trade Score – 8.50

Paraguay is one of the most significant links in the cocaine trade route from Bolivia and Europe. Cocaine produced in Bolivia and Peru enters the country by air and land. Cocaine exits Paraguay through land borders into Brazil, where it reaches some of the most important sea ports for drug trafficking. 

9 – Morocco

CannabisTrade Score Score – 9.00

Morroco is one of the major sources of cannabis. Each year, several hundred tonnes of Cannabis reach from Morrocco to European markets. The cultivation of cannabis is concentrated in the region of Rif in the North. 

8 – Peru

Cocaine Trade Score – 9.00

Peru is one of the top 10 countries with the highest number of drug trafficking in the world. It is one of the largest producers of cocoa, which is mainly used in the production of cocaine. Most of the cocaine produced in the country is destined for international markets, particularly Europe and the United States. 

7 – Venezuela

Cocaine Trade Score – 9.00

Venezuela is one of the major producers and transit points for drug shipments to the United States and Europe. Its Maduro regime is alleged to be involved in the illicit drug trafficking happening throughout the country. In addition, its porous borders with some of the major cocaine-producing countries make it an ideal transit point. 

6 – Iran

Heroin Trade Score – 9.00

Iran is one of the countries with the highest drug trafficking in the world. It is one of the main transit hubs for heroin and other drugs produced in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

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Disclosure: none. 20 Countries With The Highest Number of Drug Trafficking in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey