A new United Nations report has warned that Libya has become a key transit hub for narcotics bound for regional markets, particularly cocaine shipments moving through the country toward the Middle East and Europe.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said drug use among Libyans is rising, while the cocaine trade is expanding, with seizures in 2024 alone valued at between $3.7 million and $7.8 million. The agency cautioned that these figures reflect only recorded interceptions, meaning the true حجم of the trade is likely significantly higher.
The report also highlighted a growing flow of synthetic drugs into North Africa and other parts of the continent, noting that trafficking routes through Libya are increasingly being used by organized criminal networks.
Titled “Drug Trafficking Dynamics in Libya and Across North Africa: Trends and Implications,” the study provides the first comprehensive analytical assessment of drug smuggling patterns in Libya between 2020 and 2024. It examines emerging trends and their impact on security, public health, and social stability across the region.
The report was launched in Tripoli during an event hosted by the Office of the Attorney General, and it draws clear links between drug trafficking and Libya’s fragile security environment, warning of serious health, social, and stability consequences. It called for sustained international cooperation and a coordinated, cross-border approach based on the principle of shared responsibility.
Libya’s Deputy Foreign Minister in the outgoing Government of National Unity, Mohamed Zeidan, stressed that regional and international cooperation remains “the cornerstone” of efforts to counter drug trafficking, particularly in areas facing overlapping security and development challenges such as Libya and North Africa.
He said effective and sustainable anti-drug strategies require strong political will and a comprehensive vision that balances security needs with development priorities and human protection.
Recent law-enforcement operations cited alongside the report included the arrest of two suspects with 10 kilograms of narcotics in Tobruk, the dismantling of an international cocaine-smuggling network operating between Tunisia and Libya, and the seizure of more than 11,000 Tramadol tablets in Sebha.
For his part, Libya’s Deputy Prosecutor General in charge of anti-narcotics affairs, Abdelbaset Shehran, called on the UN to recognize the Criminal Research and Training Center, affiliated with the Attorney General’s Office, as a regional hub for research, justice, law-enforcement, and security expertise, in order to strengthen institutional capacity and support community protection.
Meanwhile, the UN Deputy Special Representative and Resident Coordinator, Ingeborg Ulrika Ulfsdotter Richardson, warned that drug trafficking is not merely a criminal justice issue but a direct threat to peace, security, the rule of law, and state authority.
She added that illicit revenues from the drug trade fuel organized crime networks, undermine state institutions, and prolong instability across Libya and the wider region.
