Faire face aux réseaux criminels à Dakar

This policy brief examines the rise of organized crime in Dakar, Senegal, focusing on drug trafficking, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and cybercrime. It analyzes how these networks operate through social microcosms and corrupt state actors, the vulnerability of the real estate sector to money laundering, and the resulting threats to urban governance. The authors recommend a comprehensive approach involving legal reform, improved law enforcement capacity, and sub-regional and international cooperation.

• Since 2013, organized crime in Dakar has become more visible, primarily involving drug trafficking, illicit pharmaceutical products, and cybercrime, all of which generate significant funds for money laundering.
• There is significant concern regarding the complicity of law enforcement agents with criminal networks. Examples include a police officer from the Office Central pour la Répression du Trafic Illicite des Stupéfiants (OCRTIS) arrested in May 2014 while attempting to sell cocaine to a Nigerian trafficker.
• Organized crime threatens urban governance by either challenging it or corrupting officials. This can lead to 'criminal governance,' where criminal networks provide parallel authority, social support, and conflict resolution services that the state fails to provide.
• Criminal networks in Dakar rely on a 'social microcosm' consisting of co-offenders, social networks (family, business, or religious ties), and transactions with conventional institutions. These networks often use ethnic, religious, or political foundations to ensure impunity and hide illicit activities.
• The real estate sector in Dakar and surrounding areas like Saly-Mbour is highly vulnerable to money laundering due to rapid growth, the use of cash transactions, and the ability to hide true owners through anonymous entities.
• Women are increasingly involved in drug trafficking and cybercrime in Dakar, often acting as key players or accomplices. Many women involved in drug trafficking are reported to be unemployed and married to Nigerians.
• Law enforcement in Dakar is hampered by a lack of basic resources, such as vehicles and fuel, which increases the vulnerability of agents to corruption and diminishes public trust.
• The transnational nature of these crimes—with drugs originating from South America (Colombia) and suspects coming from neighboring countries—necessitates sub-regional and international cooperation, such as the 'Plan Sahel' agreement between Senegal and France.

APA

Diallo, I., & Ndiaye, M. (2014). Faire face aux réseaux criminels à Dakar. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief65_FR.pdf

Chicago

Diallo, Ismaïla, and Mamoudou Ndiaye. Faire face aux réseaux criminels à Dakar. Institute for Security Studies, 2014. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief65_FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Diallo |first1=Ismaïla |last2=Ndiaye |first2=Mamoudou |title=Faire face aux réseaux criminels à Dakar |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=October 2014 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief65_FR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{diallo2014faire, author = {Diallo, Ismaïla and Ndiaye, Mamoudou}, title = {{Faire face aux réseaux criminels à Dakar}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2014}, month = oct, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief65_FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }