WSJ: Remnants of the Wagner Group have Built a Drug Empire in the Central African Republic

Remnants of the Russian Wagner private military company have turned the illegal drug trade into one of the main sources of funding for their activities in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The Wall Street Journal reported on this.

Members of the company, primarily Pavel Prigozhin, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s son, are involved in the illegal trade of tramadol—a narcotic analgesic that is highly addictive and is classified as a controlled substance in most countries, including Ukraine.

The publication notes that in high doses, this opioid painkiller acts as a stimulant, which is why it is often called “cocaine for the poor.” Despite the recommended dose of 50–100 mg, tablets containing 200 mg or more of the active ingredient are widely sold in the CAR.

Most tramadol is produced in India. From there, pharmaceutical companies export the drug to the Republic of the Congo, after which smugglers transport it down the Ubangi River to the Central African Republic.

The media notes that control over the tramadol trade allows remnants of the Wagner Group to finance the exploitation of the country’s forests and gold-mining resources.

According to estimates by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the illegal export of gold brings the group about $180 million a year, while the smuggling of tramadol to neighboring countries provides additional revenue.

Data from Uppsala University show that the rise in tramadol consumption has coincided with a nearly 20% increase in the number of deaths in battles for control over mineral-rich areas—to approximately 500 people over the past year.

According to the WSJ, in recent months, Wagner veterans have further consolidated their control over drug trafficking. According to researchers and dealers in Bangui, they supply tramadol to members of the presidential guard and the Sharks youth militia. The publication also cites testimony from a former Wagner Group employee who confirmed this information.

It is noted that the remnants of the Wagner PMC have become so deeply integrated into the political and security apparatus of the Central African Republic that even after most of the group’s assets came under Moscow’s control, the Kremlin was unable to bring the organization in the CAR fully under its authority.

Militarnyi previously reported that Russia had enlisted mercenaries from private military companies, including the Wagner Group, to escort and guard tankers in the “shadow fleet.”

The mercenaries were aboard the ships, posing as security guards, and some of them had directly participated in the war against Ukraine.