 (1).png){kind=spacer}
9 months ago
14
A researcher says South Africa is not only a transit route for those trafficking synthetic drugs, it also has a robust consumer market. (Fiona Goodall/Getty Images)
There has been a "global explosion" in the production, trafficking and use of synthetic drugs, according to an international report – and South Africa is at the geographic centre of this illicit economy.
The latest report by Jason Eligh, a researcher for the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC), titled Global Synthetic Drug Markets: The Present and Future, maps out the global landscape of the trade in synthetic drugs.
Synthetic drugs like methamphetamine, mandrax and ecstasy are created in laboratories using chemicals – and the report illustrates how the illicit synthetic drug market has undergone a profound transformation in recent years.
South Africans need to be in the know if we want to create a prosperous future. News24 has kept the country informed for 25 years, and we're about to enter a new chapter of fearless journalism. Join our free subscription trial to unlock this story and a world of news aimed to inform, empower, and inspire.
Next on News24
Damming report: Water woes set to ramp up in Gauteng, three other provinces as Rand Water flounders
4h ago
