Wagner Group fighters who remain in the Central African Republic, and who are led by Pavel Prigozhin, the son of the group’s founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, have built a tramadol trafficking system in the country, The Wall Street Journal reports. The newspaper says the network has become a major source of both revenue and influence for them.
According to the report, a group of about 500 fighters has entrenched itself in the upper reaches of the Ubangi River and taken control of tramadol sales in the CAR. The drug is a powerful painkiller that can act as a stimulant in high doses. WSJ notes that while the recommended dose is 50 to 100 mg, tablets containing 200 mg or more are being sold in the country.
The newspaper says the drug is manufactured in India, exported by pharmaceutical companies to Congo, and then smuggled into the CAR along the Ubangi River.
Journalists report that tramadol is supplied mainly to local miners, participants in pro-Russian rallies, militants, as well as members of the presidential guard and militias under their command. WSJ says the rise in tramadol use coincided with an almost 20 percent increase in the number of people killed in fighting over control of mineral resources.
The report says control of this trade has allowed Wagner fighters to expand their exploitation of the country’s gold and timber resources. Analysts estimate that illegal gold exports bring the group about $180 million a year, while drug smuggling into neighboring countries provides additional income.
WSJ writes that the Russian authorities have been unable to bring the remaining Wagner forces in the CAR under control because they have become deeply embedded in the country’s political and military system. According to the article, the mercenaries effectively control state institutions and serve as the regime’s military backbone, using smuggling routes and redirecting trade flows to maintain control over key resources, including the Ubangi River.
Global Initiative researcher Natalia Dukhan told the newspaper that the CAR remains Wagner’s last stronghold in Africa, but that the mercenaries are also trying to strengthen their positions in southern and western areas of neighboring Sudan. In her assessment, any further expansion of their influence could deepen the chaos affecting the wider region.