Fluxos financeiros ilícitos provenientes da introdução clandestina de migrantes

The report finds that despite robust anti-money laundering policies, there are few criminal investigations into the financial proceeds of migrant smuggling in Senegal and Sierra Leone. Smugglers rely heavily on cash and informal transfer systems like hawala to move funds, which are then laundered through real estate, used car imports, and hospitality businesses. Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) in both countries are underfunded and lack the specialized capacity to 'follow the money,' while corruption and a lack of witness cooperation further hinder prosecutions.

• Migrant smuggling generates significant global and regional profits, with annual global profits exceeding 10 billion USD and estimated profits from East, North, and West Africa to Europe at approximately 6.57 billion USD. Conservative estimates for flows specifically from West Africa to Europe exceed 100 million USD.
• Smugglers utilize various payment models: 'full package' deals for the Middle East (800-1,200 USD) and Europe (1,000-1,500 USD), and 'pay-as-you-go' models for land routes to Europe (600-800 USD). Maritime routes from Senegal to the Canary Islands typically cost between 400 and 600 USD.
• Illicit funds are primarily moved through cash and informal systems to avoid detection. While formal services like Western Union and Moneygram are used, smugglers prefer informal currency exchange markets and the hawala system, which allows for anonymous, paperless transfers.
• The real estate sector in Senegal is particularly vulnerable to money laundering; in 2013, approximately 230 billion CFA francs out of 240 billion invested in real estate were of doubtful or unknown origin and conducted via cash transactions.
• Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), such as CENTIF in Senegal and the FIU in Sierra Leone, are underfunded and lack the personnel and expertise to conduct independent money laundering investigations related to migrant smuggling.
• In Senegal, the lack of a central land registry and a beneficial ownership register limits the ability to investigate private real estate investors and manage seized illicit assets, which has led to corruption where offenders bribe officials to recover assets.
• In Sierra Leone, investigations are hindered by a lack of witness cooperation due to the perceived vital role of smugglers in rural communities and fears of retaliation from corrupt security forces who may protect smugglers.
• Legislative progress has been made, such as Sierra Leone's Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Act of 2022, but the 'follow the money' approach is rarely applied as a policy objective in smuggling cases.

APA

Ani, N. C., & Shahid, J. (2023). Fluxos financeiros ilícitos provenientes da introdução clandestina de migrantes. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-paper-4-por.pdf

Chicago

Ani, Ndubuisi Christian, and Jennifer Shahid. Fluxos financeiros ilícitos provenientes da introdução clandestina de migrantes. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-paper-4-por.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ani |first1=Ndubuisi Christian |last2=Shahid |first2=Jennifer |title=Fluxos financeiros ilícitos provenientes da introdução clandestina de migrantes |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=July 2023 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-paper-4-por.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ani2023fluxos, author = {Ani, Ndubuisi Christian and Shahid, Jennifer}, title = {{Fluxos financeiros ilícitos provenientes da introdução clandestina de migrantes}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-paper-4-por.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }