FOCUS on Narco-States: Guinea-Bissau 

Guinea-Bissau, a small African country that ranks as one of the poorest in the world, has been infiltrated at every level ‒political, economic, social‒ by the illegal drug trade. The country serves as a midpoint in cocaine trafficking routes from Latin America to Europe. Over a decade ago, it was labeled Africa’s “first narco-state.” Last year, Ruth Monteiro, Guinea-Bissau’s Minister of Justice and Human Rights, stated that the country is still a “paradise for drug traffickers,” reports BBC. 

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Mexico Grapples with Resurgent Sinaloa Cartel

Two incidents – one a siege and the other a massacre – propelled Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel to the limelight this month. The cartel, one of the largest and most influential in Mexico, deals in everything from the deadly opiate fentanyl to marijuana and is one of the main actors in the U.S.-Mexico drug trade. 

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