The vast Casamance forest region in Senegal is known for its rare woods: rosewood, and the Cayor pear tree, among others. Officially they are protected, but armed independence fighters smuggle the wood on the black market. These groups often raze entire plots of land and then export the wood, mainly to China via neighbouring Gambia. Clashes with the fighters have killed several people this year.

Early morning searches have taken place in Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bremen and Baden-Württemberg. Police in Britain, Belgium, France and the Netherlands were also involved.

Authorities in Portugal have launched raids after a tipoff that Portuguese troops may have smuggled contraband from the Central Afridan Republic. The country has 180 UN peacekeepers stationed in the African nation.

After the upheaval in Afghanistan, a large number of people are now trying to flee the Taliban. Many turn to people smugglers to get them out of the country. One smuggler spoke to DW about his criminal business.

It used to be a passing stop on the trafficking route to Europe, but Kenya is becoming a major destination in itself for heroin. Addiction is rising as tonnes of powder pass through East Africa.

The Honduran president has been accused of taking bribes from a major drug trafficker. This is not the first time he has been accused of working with traffickers.

The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RPAN) wants the government to empower law enforcement agencies to go to markets and shops to arrest anyone found with foreign rice. This is in a bid to discourage the smuggling of foreign rice into the country.

Moves to address smuggling in Nigeria are back on the front burner as experts say various sectors of the economy suffer the adverse effects of the act - particularly the agricultural sector - and are calling for more legal backing. Kofo Olugbesan, Managing Director and CEO of Good Intentions Services joins CNBC Africa to discuss this ways through which the Nigerian law address smuggling effectively.

The Nigeria Customs Service has been asked to rid the service of corrupt officers if it hopes to effectively battle vehicle smuggling and duty evasion.