Tunisia has experienced a notable surge in cocaine seizures over the past few years, with official figures and statements from customs and interior ministry officials confirming this trend. In October, the customs announced that over 101 kg of cocaine had been seized in the first nine months of 2026, compared to 94 kg for the entire year of 2025 and 33 kg in 2024. This represents a substantial increase in the amount of cocaine intercepted by Tunisian authorities.
According to Mohamed Ali Chaïbi, head of the anti-narcotics service at El Gorjani's judicial police department, the quantities seized have multiplied by nearly a thousand in ten years, rising from around 150 grams in 2013 to over 140 kg in 2023. Chaïbi attributed this increase partly to trafficking through the 460 km-long border with Libya, where large quantities of drugs, including cocaine, are transiting. Libya's instability since Muammar Gaddafi's fall in 2011 has made it a less costly and easier alternative for the transit, storage, and distribution of drugs.
The Libyan situation has led to the country becoming a new emerging hub for cocaine trafficking, particularly to Europe and the Middle East, according to a January 2026 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The report, titled "Dynamics of drug trafficking in Libya and across North Africa: trends and implications," highlights the significant role Libya plays in the cocaine trade. It also notes the repercussions on Tunisia, where various types of narcotics from Libya are appearing.
Tunisian security and customs services regularly announce foiled attempts to traffic cocaine at the Ras Jedir border post between Tunisia and Libya. In February 2026, nearly 30 kg of cocaine was seized at this post inside a foreign-registered vehicle coming from Libya. This was one of the largest seizures of this substance. The UNODC report states that cocaine arrives in Libya via two main routes: by sea, with shipments from Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil directly to Libyan ports, and by land, through the Sahel region.
The UNODC report also reveals that cocaine is transported from West Africa through the Sahel desert, particularly via Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, to the southern borders of Libya. Armed groups operating in the Sahel region, which has become a global terrorism hotspot, provide protection for vehicles and trucks carrying cocaine in exchange for taxes or a share of the drugs. European reports indicate that organized crime networks have intensified their use of West African and North African routes after strengthening customs and security controls in major European ports.
The cocaine arriving in Tunisia does not only come from Libya; there is also a "reverse flow" from European ports, such as Marseille and Genoa, to Tunisian ports like La Goulette and Radès. The shipments are hidden in private cars or commercial trucks loaded onto passenger and vehicle ships. The UNODC attributes this phenomenon to weaknesses in border controls in European ports for cargo destined for the southern Mediterranean. Some of the cocaine arriving through these reverse flows is intended for the local Tunisian market, while another part is redistributed to neighboring countries.
The high prices of cocaine in Tunisia, compared to Europe where the supply is abundant, may attract criminal networks. The price of a kilogram of cocaine in Tunisia reaches 300,000 dinars, according to Chaïbi, compared to 25,000 euros (around 84,000 dinars) to 43,000 euros (nearly 144,000 dinars) in Europe. With global cocaine production reaching an unprecedented level of over 4,000 tons in 2024, according to the UNODC's World Drug Report 2026, networks are seeking new markets and routes, particularly in North Africa.
Key points
- Tunisia has seen a significant increase in cocaine seizures, with over 101 kg seized in the first nine months of 2026.
- The increase in seizures is partly attributed to trafficking through the border with Libya, which has become a hub for cocaine trafficking due to its instability.
- The high prices of cocaine in Tunisia may attract criminal networks, with the price of a kilogram reaching 300,000 dinars, compared to 25,000-43,000 euros in Europe.
