Characterising South Africa’s drug markets with people who sell heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine

Background: The value and effects of southern Africa’s drug market is increasing. However, little is known about drug sellers and the nature of drug sales in the region. We examined the characteristics of people who supply heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.

Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional study included people who sell drugs who were recruited from nine South African cities between May – November 2020. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing seller attributes and sale characteristics. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics.

Results: Among the 175 participants, people sold heroin (n=138), methamphetamine (n=61) and cocaine (n=84) to consumers (n=168), consumers and sellers (n=46) and sellers exclusively (n=5). Overall, 66% (n=115) were polydrug sellers. Among retail sellers, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine was sold at a median of 75g (IQR 33g – 200g), 45g (IQR 20g – 80g), and 35g (IQR 15g – 90g) per week to a median of 50 (IQR 30 – 130), 40 (IQR 18 – 68) and 50 (IQR 15 – 100) consumers, respectively. Among wholesale sellers, heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine was sold at a median of 100g (IQR 40g – 200g), 200g (IQR 50g – 475g), and 50g (IQR 26g – 200g) per week to a median of 6 (IQR 4-10), 10 (IQR 5-45) and 7 (IQR 3-11) sellers, respectively.

Implications: This study is the first to describe the characteristics of people who sell drugs and nature of sales in South Africa. These data could inform definitions and thresholds for possession and supply in drug legislation.