France, Sept. 7 -- Balkan crime groups are working with Brazilian cartels to turn West Africa into a gateway for Europe's cocaine market, a new report warns- saying the trade is driving corruption, local drug use and instability across the region.

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime (GI-TOC) says Balkan networks are embedding across West Africa to move large quantities of cocaine to Europe, forging alliances with Latin American cartels and local intermediaries.

On Monday, the French Navy seized nearly six tonnes of cocaine from a fishing vessel in international waters off the West African coast. GI-TOC says such seizures only hint at the scale of trafficking through the region.

"A third of Europe's cocaine now t...