South Africa is a nation at the southern tip of the African continent of Africa, bordered by Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. South Africa is a transshipment center for heroin, hashish, and cocaine, and a major cultivator of marijuana. South Africa is the world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, which is increasingly produced domestically. It is attractive for drug traffickers for laundering money, and there is an increasing presence of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region.

Drug abuse and trafficking increased in South Africa after the end of apartheid in 1994. Controls of borders, growth of international trade, as well as new cultural patterns have all promoted the spread of drugs and trafficking. Traffickers are involved in other criminal activities including smuggling, ...