Onboard a European sailboat, Brazilian authorities made a record seizure of marijuana resin, also known as hashish, appearing to confirm the existence of a small but steady trans-Atlantic drug route heading to Brazil. Hashish, a brown compressed solid with a higher psychoactive potency than herbal marijuana, is a recent addition to Brazil’s drug market. Brazilian Federal Police stated that the seizure "confirms the existence of a transcontinental maritime hashish traffic route to Brazil, through which large quantities of drug shipments would transit." InSight Crime AnalysisThe emergence of a trans-Atlantic hashish trafficking route from North Africa and Europe to Brazil, often via West Africa, represents an interesting criminal development in Brazil. More broadly, these trans-Atlantic hashish imports may point to a minor diversification of Brazil's infamously large marijuana market, which consumes vast quantities of the drug from Paraguay.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 24, 2021 13:18 UTC