- youth bear brunt
Drug abuse continues to pose a serious threat to public safety, health and social stability in Botswana, with authorities raising concern over the growing presence of highly addictive synthetic substances such as crystal methamphetamine and cocaine, particularly in urban areas.
Speaking on emerging drug trends, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Director of Education and Outreach Motshereganyi Tshere Sefanyetso said cocaine has become increasingly common in Botswana, alongside a rise in cases involving crystal meth.
“These drugs put a strain on every sector and facet of society,” Sefanyetso said, noting that their impact extends beyond users to families, schools and law enforcement agencies. He stressed that addressing the crisis cannot be left to the DEA alone. “The fight is not just for the DEA. Everyone must join in.”
Sefanyetso said the agency views people struggling with addiction as patients rather than criminals, explaining that drug dependency often drives individuals into crimes such as theft or selling goods in order to sustain their habits. He said the DEA’s mandate prioritises treatment and public education, while working to reduce stigma around addiction.
“Our role is to seek treatment for users and bring awareness so that the public does not stigmatise them,” he said.
He added that most illicit substances circulating in the country enter through Botswana’s borders before being distributed locally, and that young people make up the majority of users. According to Sefanyetso, many youths turn to drugs as a coping mechanism in the face of limited opportunities and difficult life circumstances.
To support community involvement, he said the DEA has put in place an anonymity-first framework that allows whistleblowers to safely report drug dealers without fear of exposure. As Sefanyetso emphasised, the battle against drugs is not only about arrests and seizures, but about collective responsibility. “This is a fight for all of us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Police continue to classify drug-related offences as a priority crime area, particularly along transport corridors and border regions where trafficking risks remain high. Drug-related crime featured prominently during an overview of crime statistics from the festive period presented by Botswana Police Service (BPS) Commissioner Dinah Marathe recently.
She disclosed that police intercepted a case involving the possession of marijuana weighing approximately 200 kilograms, a quantity that raised alarm over large-scale drug distribution networks operating within the country.
Marathe expressed concern that, despite these seizures, police have struggled to apprehend individuals dealing in harder drugs such as cocaine and methcathinone.
““We appeal to members of the public to assist us with information on where these substances are being distributed,” she said, adding that community cooperation remains critical in dismantling organised drug syndicates.”
Botswana’s challenges mirror a rapidly evolving global drug landscape. The World Drug Report 2025 notes that the synthetic drug market is expanding at an unprecedented pace, driven by substances that are cheap to produce, easy to conceal and less risky to manufacture than plant-based drugs such as cocaine or heroin. Amphetamine-type stimulants, including methamphetamine and amphetamine, synthetic opioids like fentanyl, and drugs such as ecstasy and newly designed psychoactive substances are reshaping global markets and contributing to record levels of addiction, overdose and organised crime.
Africa is increasingly at the centre of this shift. The International Narcotics Control Board’s 2024 report describes the continent as not only a transit route but an emerging consumer and production hub. Africa now accounts for more than 90 percent of global tramadol seizures, while cocaine trafficking has surged, with 34 tonnes seized across the continent in 2022, up from 26 tonnes the previous year. The report also points to the emergence of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in countries such as Nigeria and South Africa, signalling a dangerous move towards local production linked to international crime syndicates.
In Southern Africa, South Africa has become a key transit hub for cocaine shipments from Latin America to Europe and Asia, while domestic methamphetamine production known locally as “tik”continues to devastate communities, particularly in the Western Cape. The region is also grappling with counterfeit pharmaceuticals and a growing influx of synthetic drugs, compounded by high youth unemployment, poverty and inequality that leave many communities vulnerable to organised crime.
