The Essentials
- More than 101 kg of cocaine seized between January and September 2026, compared with 94 kg for the entire year 2025.
- More than 153 kg of cannabis and more than 291,000 narcotic tablets also seized.
- Operations conducted at land, sea and air borders, as well as on the roads.
- International reports indicate an expansion of the cocaine market in North Africa.
Substantial quantities of narcotics intercepted
According to Chokri Jabri, the operations conducted during this period also yielded the seizure of more than 153 kilograms of cannabis, commonly called “zatla,” as well as more than 291,000 narcotic tablets.
These seizures were carried out at land border posts, sea and air border posts, but also during operations conducted by the Customs Guard units on the roads.
The progression of cocaine seizures is striking
Commenting on the increase in the quantities of cocaine intercepted, the customs spokesperson estimated that it was a relatively new phenomenon in Tunisia.
« It’s something new in Tunisia, something we were not accustomed to before. »
Chokri Jabri considers that this evolution reflects a growing interest in this drug on the Tunisian market.
However, the increase in seized quantities does not, by itself, allow measuring the real evolution of consumption, as that evolution also depends on other factors, notably control and interception activities.
A Tunisian market still limited, but expanding
According to indicators of organized crime in Africa, published as part of the program to strengthen the African response to transnational organized crime, funded by the European Union, Tunisia constitutes a cocaine market that is still relatively limited, but in a phase of expansion.
The same source notes that the consumption of this drug, considered particularly expensive, is concentrated particularly among the affluent populations of the major coastal Tunisian cities.
This evolution fits into a broader regional dynamic.
Indeed, the 2026 World Drug Report, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), notes that cocaine has gradually penetrated retail markets in North Africa.
These findings highlight the evolution of the regional drugs market, while the seizures announced by the Tunisian customs illustrate the scale of quantities intercepted during the first nine months of 2026.
