U.S. Trains Anti-Drug Agents In Ghana, Key African Narcotics Hub

Using lessons learned in Afghanistan and Central America, the United States has begun training special anti-drugs police squads in Ghana with hopes of breaking lucrative narcotics supply routes.

We have an interest in and have been heavily invested in the region over the past few years, Jeffrey Scott, a spokesperson for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), told the Telegraph

We have supplemented our in-country offices with training and support similar to that provided in Afghanistan and elsewhere, with a view to ramping up the capacity of our counterparts.

In recent years, West Africa has become a valuable hub for cocaine and heroin traffickers looking for ways around more policed routes. The United States has also launched a significant counter-terrorism efforts across the continent, and securing helping African nations secure borders against traffickers could have the side-effect of aiding in this endeavor.