Ivory Coast deploys military to combat cocoa smuggling amid record prices and tight supply

Armed checkpoints now dot the two main routes leading toward the borders with Guinea and Liberia. These roads, strategically located in the west of the country, are patrolled by a special brigade established three years ago specifically to combat cocoa smuggling. The troops, identifiable by their red berets, are stationed along roads known to be used by smugglers who exploit remote forest trails under the cover of night.

At the heart of the operation is the brigade’s headquarters in Danané, a town just 20 kilometers from the Liberian border. The A8 highway splits here—north toward Guinea and south along Liberia’s edge—creating a key junction for monitoring contraband routes. From these official roads, smugglers veer off into rugged tracks cut through dense forest, making their way across the porous frontier.

Roughly 50 kilometers east lies Man, the center of cocoa cultivation in Ivory Coast. The town is surrounded by hundreds of cocoa farms that blend almost indistinguishably into the surrounding rainforest. Yet Man is not only an agricultural hub—it’s also a hotspot for the cocoa smuggling trade.

Sergeant Kone, a member of the anti-smuggling unit, explained the scale and sophistication of the operation. He noted that smugglers often travel in convoys of five to ten motorbikes, each towing a trailer packed with sacks of cocoa. Larger shipments are moved by truck, with cargo transferred to smaller vehicles before reaching the border.

According to Kone, this is the peak season for smuggling. The urgency is tied to the impending rainy season, which will soon turn the already treacherous paths into muddy traps. The Cavally River, which traces 500 kilometers along the Liberian border, will swell from a shallow, narrow stream into a formidable natural barrier.

Trucks will struggle on the washed-out roads, Kone said, but lighter vehicles might still pass. As for the river, smugglers rely on local fishermen, who use traditional canoes to ferry the cocoa across. These fishermen can transport over a ton of beans per day and earn between $100 and $200 for their services—compensation not only for the labor but also for their silence.

Ivory Coast is the world’s largest cocoa producer, accounting for nearly half of global output with an annual yield of about 2 million tons. The government sets domestic prices—currently at $2.60 per kilogram—to protect farmers from market volatility. However, with global prices still exceeding $8 per kilogram even after recent drops, the financial incentive to smuggle cocoa abroad is significant.

This year’s harvest is expected to reach around 1.85 million tons, according to the International Cocoa Organization (ICCO), making border control a matter of national priority. Cocoa generates over a quarter of Ivory Coast’s public revenues, reinforcing its status not just as a commodity, but as a strategic asset—and a national treasure.