Painkiller Pipeline: 300 Million Tapentadol Pills Sent from India to West Africa

Bellingcat, in collaboration with Newslaundry, analysed export records showing that Indian suppliers shipped vast quantities of the opioid tapentadol to West Africa (notably Sierra Leone and Ghana) between 2023 and 2025—over 320 million pills valued at roughly USD 130 million—despite the drug lacking regulatory approval in those countries; the report details trade-data findings, seizures, the use of falsified declarations and courier services, regulatory gaps in India, and the public-health impacts of rising opioid trafficking in the region.