UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Africa has faced a plethora of tragedies, but never had it suffered a drug problem until now, said the head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Tuesday.

    The statement came as Executive Director of UNODC Antonio Maria Costa addressed a Security Council meeting at UN headquarters in New York to discuss combating drug trafficking, which continues to undermine Africa's peace and security.

    "The continent is facing a severe and complex drug problem," Costa told council members, saying that "serious consequences in terms of health, development and security are inevitable" because of "new, worrisome developments" in Africa on drug trafficking.

    He noted his recent discovery of 7 laboratories in Guinea-Bissau, and recognized that West Africa is becoming a producer of synthetic drugs and of crystal cocaine.

    In East Africa, 30 to 35 tons of Afghan heroin are being trafficked every year, causing a "dramatic increase in drug addiction of the worse type," particularly heroin injection -- which contributes to the spread of HIV, he said.

    Because of the "dramatic situation in Somalia," East Africa has become a "free economic zone for all sorts of trafficking," which he named as drugs, migrants, guns and hazardous wastes.

    "We have acquired evidence that the two streams of illicit drugs -- heroin into Eastern Africa and cocaine into West Africa --are now meeting in the Sahara, creating new trafficking routes across Chad, Niger and Mali," Costa said.

    "Like in the Andeans and in West Asia, terrorists and anti-government forces in the Sahel extract resources from the drug trade to fund their operations, purchase equipment and pay food for soldiers," he added.

    "We must strengthen national capacity," he stressed, saying that information-sharing must be used in affected countries in order to interrupt trafficking networks.

    Also citing the importance of creating a Trans-Saharan Crime Monitoring Network, Costa said this would improve monitoring, in addition to strengthening the necessary steps taken against organized crime.